?Aerial photo taken on March 11, 2021 shows the eighth Cambodia-China Friendship Bridge across the Mekong River, connecting Kampong Cham province and Tboung Khmum province in southeastern Cambodia. Construction work on the eighth Cambodia-China Friendship Bridge was completed earlier than schedule despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Cambodian Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol said on Tuesday. (Shanghai Construction Group/Handout via Xinhua)
PHNOM PENH, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Construction work on the eighth Cambodia-China Friendship Bridge was completed earlier than schedule despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Cambodian Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol said on Tuesday.
"This bridge is very nice and the construction has been completed two months ahead of the schedule in May 2021," he told reporters during a visit to the bridge.
Spanning over the Mekong River and connecting Kampong Cham province and Tboung Khmum province in southeastern Cambodia, the 1.13-km long bridge is now temporarily opened to all drivers, particularly for travelers during the upcoming Khmer New Year from April 14-16, Chanthol said.
He added that Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen will officially inaugurate it at an appropriate time when the COVID-19 situation is under control in the Southeast Asian country.
The Shanghai Construction Group began to construct the bridge in February 2018 under the China's concessional loan. Enditem
