ROCKINGHAM — More than $240,000 is being distributed to Richmond County municipalities to help make road repairs.
The N.C. Department of Transportation last week announced that it was doling out more than $143 million to 509 cities and towns across the state in Powell Bill funds. Of that amount, $240,850.99 is being allotted to five local municipalities for the month of October:
- Rockingham – $122,088.20
- Hamlet – $88.517.11
- Ellerbe – $15,888.27
- Hoffman – 11,659.50
- Dobbins Heights – 2,697.91
Another allocation of funds will be distributed in January.
According to NCDOT, the funds are used “primarily to resurface municipal streets but can also be used to maintain, repair, construct or widen streets, bridges and drainage areas. Municipalities can also use Powell Bill funds to plan, construct and maintain bike paths, greenways or sidewalks.”
Each municipality’s allocation is based on a formula set by the General Assembly, with 3/4 of the funds based on population and the remainder based on the mileage of locally maintained streets.
The fund is named for former state senator and Whiteville mayor Junius K. Powell, who “was the primary sponsor of the 1951 bill that helped the state’s cities with urban road problems.”
This year’s allocation is around $15,000 less than the total received during the October 2020 disbursement.
