WINDSOR – The bulk of the 2012-13 allocation for Bertie County’s Secondary Roads Construction Program will be set aside.

During last week’s meeting of the Bertie County Commissioners, officials with the North Carolina Department of Transportation presented the program which calls for $400,000 to be set aside for Bal-Gra Road.

DOT expects slightly more than $773,000 for funding from the North Carolina Highway Fund and the North Carolina Highway Trust Fund for Bertie County during the next fiscal year.

Of that funding there are no rural paving priorities and no subdivision paving priorities, leaving only paved road improvements to receive funding.

There will be $50,000 set aside for spot improvements on paved roads and another $50,000 for pipe replacements. In addition there will be $25,000 spent on countywide survey, plans, right-of-way and utilities.

Following that, DOT intents to place $400,000 towards the $615,000 needed to take care of Bal-Gra Road. The road will have full depth reclamation, as well as being strengthened, upgraded and having the shoulder reconstructed from 0.2 miles south of U.S. 17 through 2.21 miles south of U.S. 17.

Commissioners said the citizens of that area have been hoping to have the road paved for quite some time and they were glad to see it included in the transportation budget.

Commission Vice Chairman J. Wallace Perry asked how long it would be before they knew when it would be paved.

Sterling Baker of DOT said it would depend on the funding. He said if funding came in as anticipated there will be a contract in place by the end of the year and the project would begin as soon as the 2013-14 budget was released.

Also on the alternate paving list is Griffin Quarter Road and Moore Road. The work on Griffin Quarter Road is only .33 miles while the Moore Road would be over two miles worth of work from N.C. 11 to the Cashie River Tributary. The cost for the former is $210,000 and the latter is $230,000.

The board also received the right-of-way hold list in the county, which are roads that work cannot be completed on because there are no signed right-of-way agreements.