THE IMPACT OF ROAD TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN PORTHARCOURT METROPOLIS

This research assessed the Impact of Road Transport Infrastructure Development in Port Harcourt. It also examined critically, the importance of quality road infrastructure in Port Harcourt and its relative impact on the Nigerian economic development. Relevant literatures on road infrastructure development and its impact on Rivers State were reviewed. A time-series data (2004 - 2016) on road infrastructure quality index (RIQI), GDP per capita, cost of cargo haulage and volume of cargo, secondary data were obtained from World Bank database and National Bureau of Statistics. These data were analyzed using multi linear Regression analysis with the aid Statistical Package for Social Scientist (SPSS V.20). From the result of the Regression analysis, the quality of road infrastructure in Nigeria will increase GDP per capita by 96.9% for every one percent increase in port infrastructure, Reduce Ship turnaround time by 29.1% for every one percent increase in road infrastructure, Increase by 20.9% for a percent increase in cost of freight and increase by 55.6% for a percent increase in Cargo volume. . And also that expansion in vehicle fleet makes a strong contribution to the revenue generated from the sector. The study therefore concludes that road transport is a critical factor to the development of any nation. Recommendations on how to make the system much more efficient so that the benefits enshrined in the operation of the system could be optimally maximized where presented in the study.