The Forsyth County Roads and Bridges Committee met over breakfast Thursday to discuss the latest developments in transportation projects.

The committee, which includes County Commissioners Todd Levent and Jim Boff, talked about projects ranging from local intersections to major state routes.

The next state road widening expected to get started is the first phase of Bethelview Road, which will be expanded to a four-lane divided highway from Hwy. 9 to Castleberry Road.

The state Department of Transportation will fund the construction, which should get started by next summer, said Thomas Moreland, chairman and CEO of county-hired firm Moreland Altobelli Associates.

Work could take about 18 months to complete.

Forsyth County will handle the design work and right-of-way acquisition prior to the state accepting construction bids in March.

The second phase, expected to begin in 2017, will widen Bethelview to Hwy. 20.

“That is going to be a terrific project,” Moreland said.

Another four-lane project is making progress, though Moreland said it’s been a “long, hard road” to get the Hwy. 20 plan going.

Most recently, the DOT notified county officials it will pay the costs for construction, acquiring right of way and moving utility lines, he said.

The widening work could begin in 2014 between Samples and James Burgess roads.

“It’s been a long time coming, and it’s badly needed,” Moreland said.

He also gave updates on the state’s progress with other roads that pass through the county, including Ga. 400.

The State Road and Tollway Authority recently made $3 million available for 400, which will fund some construction just north of McFarland Road and the costs of a design to widen the corridor to Hwy. 20.

Construction funding for that effort is included on the upcoming referendum for a 1-cent transportation special local option sales tax, or T-SPLOST.

That vote will be held sometime next year.

The regional penny tax could yield as much as $1 billion over its 10-year lifespan in the 13-county Georgia Mountain Regional Commission, which includes Forsyth.