Post-construction environmental and social impact analysis (ESIA) of Por-Harcourt - Enugu Highway on local economy

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the post-construction impacts of Port-harcourt – Eungu highway in Southeastern Nigeria. The impact study focused on the Environmental and Social Impact Analysis (ESIA) because of the social and environmental impacts of road projects. The basic tool used in this analysis is factor analysis which results were used to carry out multiple regression analysis with the intent of developing analytical models. The results obtained from the developed analytical models were fortified with the quantitative data collected on the highway based on selected five key development parameters. The results obtained from the analysis indicated that the impacts of the highway to the economy of the area were most visible in the political advantage derived by the government and the people; new settlements that were developed and reduced travel time gained by the commuters. The Coefficient of Determination (R²) attributed the development on the corridors of the highway to about 57.60% of the general development.

Keywords: Road Infrastructure; Impact Analysis; Economic Development; Nigeria.

International Journal of Agriculture and Development Vol. 9 2007: pp. 108-116