The Rowan County Fiscal Court recently announced the blacktopping of all county roads was completed ahead of schedule, but that doesn’t mean the road crews are resting. The Rowan County Road Department worked with locally owned and operated Hinkle Contracting to lay the blacktop along many major roadways in the county.
The department is led by foreman Steve Kelsey. Kelsey said he is amazed by the work everybody involved in the project was able to accomplish.
“We have actually had probably the best year’s work put out this year that I can ever remember to be honest with you,” said Kelsey. “Like I said it’s nothing I’ve done, it’s nothing that one or two of us has done it’s the whole county.”
The new roads, although paved, will require maintenance to keep them operational during the coming winter months. Kelsey said he and Judge Executive Harry Clark have already been planning the next steps to improve transportation in the county.
“We’ve got patching to do, we’ve got three slips that I’m going to try to get done by wintertime, we’ve got shouldering. The Judge and I have had a discussion on this. We’re going to shoulder what roads the county had laid this year and last year,” he said.
Additionally, Kelsey praised the county government for all the improvements they have made to transportation infrastructure. This includes construction of a new facility for the department and a new salt barn.