Pettyjohn is named Division 11 engineer

Mike Pettyjohn of Ronda has been named division engineer for the N.C. Department of Transportation's Division 11, which includes Alleghany, Wilkes, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, Surry, Watauga and Yadkin.

The Boonville native heads a division with 700 DOT employees, more miles of unpaved secondary roads than any other division and the state's harshest winter weather.

"I also think we have the state's prettiest scenery and the best population of people to work with... Plus, our (DOT) people in the division are second to none," said Pettyjohn.

Just finishing his first two weeks as division engineer, Pettyjohn said he looks forward to seeing completion of all U.S. 421 four-laning projects under way by October or November.

"We've got a lot of challenges ahead of us," he added. He was referring partly to projects in "North Carolina Moving Ahead!," a major highway improvement initiative unveiled last month. Details on this two-year effort, including plans for spending about $3.1 million in Alleghany, are in a story on Page 3.

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