Road repairs are on the way for a number of areas in Newton County that need improvements, but some citizens told the Newton County Board of Commissioners their community was not on the list.

Citizens picked up a tentative schedule of road projects at the Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday night, which listed more than a dozen projects as scheduled for repairs in 2013. Check the box to the right to see the full list and go online to CovNews.com to see timelines and costs for each project.

During citizen’s comments, Ann Neuhierl, a resident of the Ellington community — which is comprised of five subdivisions located on Brown Bridge Road — again attended the BOC meeting as she did in January with a group of fellow residents.

She told the board that her community was not on the list of scheduled projects and she would like to see roads in her neighborhood repaired.

Neuhierl said last year a petition with more than 100 signatures from residents in the neighborhood was presented to the board asking to have their roads repaired. The campaign went public as media outlets began to publish and broadcast the community’s story; and the county engineer also did a comprehensive report on what it would take to have the roads repaired in that community.

However, she said there still hasn’t been any action.

BOC Chair Keith Ellis informed the audience at the beginning of the meeting that the county still had a few other projects that would possibly be on the list at a later date.

“I want to remind you that it is a working project. So it may change from time to time as money is available,” Ellis said.

Drivers in the county will not have to stop anymore rain at several railroad intersections as the board approved entering into an agreement with Central of Georgia Railroad Company for seven railroad crossings to be paved.

County Engineer Tom Garrett said stop signs and advanced warning signs for seven railroad crossings will be removed. The roads include County Road 213, Elks Club Road, Dixie Road, Gaither’s Road, Old Starrsville Road, Piper Road and East End Road.

The work will be performed by the county’s public works department as funds are available.

The board of commissioners also approved advertising bids for replacing five culverts for roadways to be resurfaced as a part of the 2013 Local Maintenance Improvement Grant project.

In anticipation of several resurfacing projects slated to begin in late April or early May, the public works department inspected cross drains along proposed routes for pipes that were in need of repair.

Garrett said the department found several pipes that were in need of replacement, including two culverts at Oak Hill Road; three culverts at McGiboney Road, four culverts at Dixie Road and one culvert at Malcolm Road.

The public works drainage crew is in the process of replacing several of the 10 culverts; however, in order to have all the pipes replaced in time for resurfacing, a contractor needs to work on five of the larger culverts that are along busier roads. Those culverts include one culvert at Oak Hill Road, three culverts at McGiboney Road and one culvert at Malcolm Road.

The cost estimate for the project is $43,000 and funding for the project will come from the general fund. Garrett said bids will be presented to the board at the March 19 BOC meeting for approval.