RALEIGH — Additional improvements to roadways in the Roanoke-Chowan region have been approved.

On Thursday, North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue announced that 17 contracts totaling $65 million have been awarded for highway and bridge projects across North Carolina, including eight projects funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The contracts were awarded by the N.C. Department of Transportation to the lowest respective bidder, as required by state law.

One of those projects will improve a near 30-mile stretch of US 158 in Northampton County. There, a $7.2 million recovery project contract was awarded to Barnhill Contracting Company of Tarboro for milling, resurfacing and shoulder reconstruction of 28.2 miles of U.S. 158 from the Halifax County line to the multi-lane section just west of the Hertford County line. Work is scheduled to begin as early as Oct. 26, and be completed by Nov. 15, 2011.

This project is among a wide scope of road work planned in the Roanoke-Chowan area. Those projects include improvements to NC 305 from US 13 to NC 11 in Bertie County and NC 561 in Hertford County from NC 11 to the Northampton County line.

Additionally, NCDOT has announced plans to replace two bridges over the Ahoskie Creek on US 13 just south of Ahoskie as well as constructing a new bridge over the Cashie River in Windsor.

US 13 north of Ahoskie has already been resurfaced.

“Thanks to recovery dollars, we continue to be able to create needed jobs now for North Carolinians while making lasting investments in our transportation system,” Perdue said.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, every $1 million spent on transportation creates 30 jobs, and according to the construction industry, every dollar invested in transportation generates $6 in economic impact.

The bids received on all 17 projects advertised came in 21.7 percent, about $18 million below NCDOT estimates.

For more information about funding for infrastructure improvements in North Carolina, as well as other NCDOT projects and activities, visit www.ncdot.gov.