The new Albemarle District Jail project is about 60 percent complete and on schedule for completion by next April, Pasquotank County Manager Randy Keaton said Tuesday.

Keaton and other officials from Pasquotank, Perquimans and Camden counties met Tuesday afternoon to receive an update on the $19.6 million project from construction site engineer David Smithson.

Last month, Smithson replaced the previous on-site inspectors that were provided by Brennan and Associates, the architectural firm that designed the jail. Brennan's inspectors have been embroiled in disputes with the jail project contractor, N.C. Monroe Construction of Greensboro, over workmanship issues, and Smithson was hired to replace them.

"We had a fairly long discussion on the status of the project, getting all three boards up to date," Keaton said.

He said the project is about 60 percent complete and the roof should soon be installed, enabling workers to move inside the building.

While the project has been beset with several delays since work started in December 2006, it is on track and should be completed by next April, Keaton said.

The project was originally supposed to be finished this past April. But last year, a work stoppage was issued after architect James Brennan complained that his on-site inspectors found hundreds of construction deficiencies that could lead to a weaker jail facility that would be vulnerable to security breaches.

N.C. Monroe said Brennan's on-site inspector had not been clear or specific about project corrections. The stop worker order was lifted by Pasquotank two months ago.

The 248-bed jail is being built at Pasquotank County's Commerce Park to replace a frequently overcrowded 88-bed jail facility in Elizabeth City. The jail is jointly operated by a commission that includes representatives from Pasquotank, Perquimans and Camden counties.