Coastal Road, Catalyst For N'Delta Development, Says Expert

A MEMBER of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering (COREN), Engineer Mayne David-West, has described the proposed East-West Coastal Road as a catalyst for the economic development of the Niger Delta region.David-West said the 704-kilometre road project would unlock the tourism potentials of the region and the country as a whole when completed.He spoke yesterday at the Sixth Professor Youpele Beredugo Annual Lecture organized by the Port Harcourt chapter of the Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (NICE) in Port Harcourt.While explaining that the contract for the construction of the East-West Coastal road would be awarded to different companies simultaneously, David-West pointed out that the project would be divided into 10 sections to enable contractors complete it within five years.David-West expressed satisfaction over the move by the federal government to seek funds for the project from external sources, adding that the road project held a lot of promise for the people of the coastal communities and the country.He noted that such promises would come with some sacrifices and challenges, especially from the people of the region who had suffered from age-long neglect and deprivation.David-West however expressed worry that the responsibility of paying the new minimum wage would pose a major challenge in securing the full support of the Niger Delta governors in the execution of the proposed East-West Coastal Road project.'States along the road corridor may as a result find it difficult in meeting allotted obligations unless certain ad-hoc arrangements are made to ameliorate the weight of the project on state finances.'This solicits the support of the state governors whose states lie along the corridor of the road, oil companies, international donor agencies and willing investors to come on board,' David-West added.Explaining that the project will gulp a whopping $6.5billion (N1.8 trillion), the civil engineering expert stated that the proposed road would comprise 180 bridges across river channels from Calabar to Lagos.On his part, Prof. Beredugo urged the federal government to expedite action in the award of contract for the road, saying the project will transform the oil-rich region.
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