The Pearl River County Road Department has plans to pave 45 miles of road this fiscal year, matching the amount of work done last year.

Road Manager Charlie Schielder said according to the records he has available, the mileage last year is the best year the department has ever had.

“We have gotten close to that number in the past,” he said. “But, the Board of Supervisors have worked hard to get some extra money to help us get more mileage done.”

Schielder said asphalt prices are hitting $62 a ton, two dollars higher than last year, which us an amount that was expected.

He noted the only work being done right now is base repair on Jackson Landing Road.

“We’re ready to get fired up, but with all the rain we have been getting it’s not a situation where you want to start any big projects,” Schielder said. “It really affects us.”

He said the department has a big list, but the conditions and priorities of road repair “change from day to day.”

Schielder said one example would be where a road may be damaged because of different types of construction projects.

“We may have to drop a road that is not as bad to fix,” he said.

Schielder said the department had a good year last year considering the wet weather that slowed the rate of progress.

He said the overlay for Jackson Landing Road will start soon, and then the department will start doing some of the smaller roads on the list.

“That should start around the first part of April, and then we’ll start going to the bigger projects when the weather is better,” Schielder said.

He said the focus would be on the high-traffic roads that are connecting routes.