The Cambodian government is moving ahead with plans to create a new highway between the capital Phnom Penh and the country’s main beach resort and port, Sihanoukville.

The Khmer Times reports that the a US$2 billion contract has been signed with a Chinese company for the construction of the 190km road, which would reduce the time it takes to travel to the Cambodian coast.

“Our company will spend billions of dollars more to build the expressway from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville. The ground-breaking ceremony is expected by the end of the year,” Liu Qitao, president of the China Communications Construction Company, was quoted saying.

The highway project forms part of the government’s “expressway master plan”, which outlines the need for 850km of new expressways by 2020, and 2,230km by 2040, at a cost of approximately US$26bn.

The expressway project marks the latest infrastructure boost for Sihanoukville; flights to the coastal city’s airport resumed in 2011 and international services were launched in 2014. Then in 2016, Cambodia revived passenger rail services between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville.