Floyd County officials are considering where to spend an extra $628,000 in road money promised by the state Department of Transportation.

“It’s not going to do everything on our list, but every little bit helps,” County Manager Kevin Poe said.

A contingent of county commissioners met with GDOT Commissioner Harold Linnenkohl early this week to ask for state help with some upcoming local road projects.

Poe said the county is preparing to spend $1.7 million to widen and upgrade Huffaker Road, $700,000 to build a new access road at Pepperell High School and $100,000 to resurface various roads that did not make the state-funded list.

Linnenkohl approved $228,000 for the fiscal year that ends June 30. Poe said the commissioner will take the county’s recommendation on where to direct those funds, but another $400,000 to come after July 1 is meant to serve the cities of Rome and Cave Spring as well.

“He suggested we come to a combined recommendation instead of asking for separate projects,” Poe said.

The county preference is to earmark the money for Huffaker

Road, he said. Work is to start in the spring on a 1.2-mile section between Fouche Gap Road and Technology Parkway.

The first phase is mainly to support increased truck

traffic to Plant Hammond’s new coal ash disposal site, and

Ga. Power Co. is contributing $1.6 million to the cost. The

county plans to continue widening another six miles —

between Technology Parkway and Ga. 20.

“It should relieve some congestion on Redmond Road, Redmond

Circle and Shorter Avenue, so it benefits the city, too,” Poe said. “But the city probably has other projects they’d like to do.”

City Manager John Bennett said he would not rule out support for the Huffaker Road project but “we do have some intersections we’re interested in, or there’s Chulio Road (that) we’re working on with the county.”

The issue likely will be on the agenda of a March 7 joint meeting of the Rome and Floyd County commissions.