THE East-West coastal road proposed under the Master Plan for the Niger Delta region is to gulp a whopping N1.8 trillion.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC), Mr. Chibuzor Ugwuoha, who gave the figure during a parley with newsmen on Thursday, in Lagos, said the design of the project was not only course but had reached an advanced stage.

He specifically stated that about 70 per cent of the job had been done, adding that the entire design might be concluded by December this year.

Given the huge cost of constructing the road, he said the NDDC alone cannot fund the project, which would comprise the longest bridge ostensibly in the country.

To actualise the project within the shortest possible time, Ugwuoha said the commission planned to partner with the Federal Government, state administrations in the region, international donors and genuine investors.

According to him, the road has bountiful economic potential, as it substantially reduces the number of hours currently being wasted by road users from the area to other parts of the country.

Indeed, he said it would take about three hours to travel from Port-Harcourt to Lagos when the road is completed.

Reviewing his one year in office, the NNDC chief asserted that the commission had invested so much in the area of human capital development, agriculture, skill acquisition and development, job creation, training as well as health care and road construction.

He said some mega projects were awarded under the period under review as part of the practical demonstration of the commission to open up the area for general development and attract more investors.

He said the projects valued at about N150 billion were at different stages of completion, stressing that the NNDC regularly monitored the progress of work on them to guarantee quality.

Besides, he said the commission did not compromise on quality, as it ensured that only competent and qualified contractors and consultants were patronized for all jobs.

He revealed that the NNDC was expecting the Federal Government to release a balance of N500million allocation.