After 30 years of war, political instability, and neglect, most of Cambodia’s physical infrastructure was in ruins. In 1992, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved the Special Rehabilitation Assistance Loan (SRAL) to support the country’s rehabilitation of essential physical and social infrastructure. Assistance under the SRAL focused on rehabilitating important primary roads, which were recognized as a serious constraint to the economic development and physical integration of the country. An ADB technical assistance (TA), finalized in 1995, recommended that subsequent road network rehabilitation continue in the same manner as SRAL. Further, the TA proposed that future assistance should aim to restore important sections of the primary road network to stimulate sustainable economic recovery through improved access and reduced transport costs. The Primary Roads Restoration Project (the Project) was formulated based on the findings of the TA. The TA was to build on the recommendations of previous ADB-financed TAs, which identified the basis for an effective maintenance system.
