WINDSOR – There is good news for people in the northern corners of Bertie County.

Monday morning, the North Carolina Department of Transportation presented its Secondary Roads Construction program to the Bertie County Commissioners. Among the information received by the board is the paving of Point Comfort Road near Colerain and the upgrading of Harrell Siding Road near Roxobel.

Sterling Baker of DOT appeared before the board to present the $728,000-plus project for the county.

The first project will be paving Point Comfort Road from N.C. 45 to the end of the state maintenance of the road. It will be graded, stabilized and paved over the course of 1.06 miles.

The cost of those improvements will be approximately $260,000.

Across the county on its western border, Harrell Siding Road will be widened, strengthened, upgraded, matted and sealed as well as having shoulder reconstruction. That is slated to happen over 2.6 miles from S.R. 1204 to S.R. 1249. That will come at a cost of $260,000.

Other paved road work in the county will be accomplished from spot improvements and various pipe replacements. The budget designated $50,000 for spot improvements and another $20,000 for the pipe replacements.

There will also be $100,000 designated for spot improvements on unpaved roads throughout the county.

Should there be additional funds left over and another appropriation, there is a list of alternatives of roads that are paved, but need improvements.

The first alternate is Black Rock Road near Merry Hill. A $250,000 project would call for the road to be widened, strengthened and upgraded from S.R. 1357 to 0.2 miles south of S.R. 1360.

The second alternate is a $50,000 improvement to Lam Plant Road from U.S. 17 Business to the end of the road.

Alternate number three would go back to Black Rock Road and continue from where the first project left off just south of S.R. 1360 and continue to S.R. 1361.

Commissioner Rick Harrell said he had received a concern about Blanchard’s Road in Woodard and asked how a road gets on the list for improvements.

Division Engineer Winn Bridgers said the roads were prioritized based on need and that he was familiar with the road. He said DOT would take another look at the road and see if it could be upgraded.

Bridgers said roads that need work could not be just resurfaced because it would be throwing money away and said the roads would have to be completely reworked if they were in bad shape.

Commissioner J. Wallace Perry asked Bridgers to take a look at Sand Hill Road as well and Bridgers said he would.