ROCKINGHAM — Five of Richmond County’s six municipalities will, combined, nearly $256,000 for street maintenance.
The N.C. Department of Transportation on Monday announced the October 2020 allocation of Powell Bill funds.
The state is distributing $132.7 million to 508 municipalities across North Carolina, according to a press release. Half of the allocation is dispersed in October, the other half will go out in January.
“The Powell Bill funding helps local governments improve transportation systems within their communities,” said state Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette. “These funds help complete critical projects like repairing roads and supporting local projects such as bikeways and 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.
Richmond County’s allocations for October are as follows:
- Dobbins Heights – $13,929.18
- Ellerbe – $17,175.17
- Hamlet – $91,074.90
- Hoffman – $12,751.21
- Rockingham – $121,059.23
Norman was not on the list to receive funds.
According to NCDOT, 23 cities will be allocated at least $1 million each, including Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham, Winston-Salem and Fayetteville. The Queen City will receive $13.7 million based on its population of 863,985 and 2,537 miles of maintained roads.
From the NCDOT: “The fund is named for Junius K. Powell, a former state senator and mayor of Whiteville who was a primary sponsor of the 1951 bill to help the state’s cities with urban road problems. The first allocation of Powell Bill funds was for $4.5 million and was distributed to 386 cities and towns. Including this week’s allocations, municipalities have received more than $4.8 billion in street aid funding since the program started.”
