A $24.5 million contract has been awarded to a Virginia firm to begin a widening project along Highway 125.

Both Halifax County commissioners and Roanoke Rapids City Council had been initially petitioned to adopt resolutions opposing the project.
Commissioners rescinded a resolution and council never adopted one after information was presented by the state Department of Transportation.
In a statement today the state said it will widen a 1.3-mile stretch of the highway and extend Premier Boulevard along Interstate 95 in Halifax County.
The department this month awarded a $24.5 million contract to W.C. English Inc. of Lynchburg, Virginia, to construct four lanes and a raised median along Highway 125 between Interstate 95 at exit 171 and Old Farm Road in Roanoke Rapids.
As part of the project, Premier Boulevard will be extended southward and parallel to I-95 to where the contractor will realign the Highway 125 intersection and Three Bridges Road.
The realignment will allow the department to install a traffic light at the new intersection, which also will connect Sheraton Drive with the planned extension of Premier Boulevard.
Also, the contractor will extend American Legion Road from Highway 125 to the new portion of Premier Boulevard.
The state said the widening of Highway 125 and the extension of the two roads will improve mobility, ease congestion and accommodate future traffic growth. The median along Highway 125 will increase safety by reducing left turns and redirecting motorists when leaving their homes or businesses.
Construction can begin after December 3 and the contractor will have the project substantially completed and the new roads opened by the fall of 2021.
This is one of 14 road and bridge projects the department recently awarded.
The contracts went to the lowest qualified bidder as required by state law. They are worth $507.7 million, which is $12 million under engineer estimates.