PHNOM PENH - A Chinese construction firm on Thursday won a bid to carry out a road upgrade and maintenance project in Cambodia.

Cambodian Transport Minister Sun Chanthol said the ministry awarded the $20 million contract to Guangdong Provincial Changda Highway Engineering Co Ltd after the firm won a public tender.

"Under the contract, the Chinese firm will upgrade and maintain a 107-km section of the National Road No 7 in eastern part of Cambodia," he said after a contract signing ceremony here, adding that the company would also construct sewer pipes along the road.

The firm will take one-and-a-half years to upgrade the road and another three years for the maintenance of the road, the minister said, adding that the project work will start in March 2018.

He said the project was made possible under a concessional loan from the World Bank.

Xu Ke, deputy general manager of Guangdong Provincial Changda Highway Engineering, said that the company would strictly comply with the contract and he promised to upgrade the road with high quality.