WINTON – It’s as simple as the name implies.

After a month-long Road-Naming Contest for the main entrance to county’s new courthouse and government center; one meeting to debate the issue; and a public hearing at another gathering, the Hertford County Board of Commissioners have made their decision.

And the winner is….Justice Drive.

A public hearing was required per North Carolina General Statute when it comes to naming a public road. It came after 200-plus suggestions were received in the contest, as staged by the Hertford County Land Records Office and E-911 Addressing Director Sara Turner. Of that amount, 94 entries met the criteria to be considered for the contest.

At its November meeting, the Commissioners heard from Turner, who said the road name should be, “pleasant sounding, easy to read, and carries a sense of pride, we also wanted a name that was unique and engaging.”

The top three names forwarded to the Commissioners for their consideration were Authority Drive, Heritage Drive, and Justice Drive. The consensus among the Commissioners prior to the public hearing was Justice Drive.

There was no public comment made on the issue at the Dec. 15 meeting, prompting the Commissioners in a 4-0 vote (Curtis Freeman was absent) to formally adopt an ordinance that names the road/street leading from US 158 into the new Hertford County Judicial and Government Center as Justice Drive.

The road will belong to and maintained by Hertford County local government. It will not be a part of the NCDOT highway system.

Other unique names suggested were  River Herring Drive, County Manager Road, Johnnie Farmer Drive, Highway 158 Road, Benjamin Wynn Drive (the namesake of the town of Winton), and Hertford County Road.