ASHEVILLE (AP) — While 30 new Highway Patrol troopers are heading out on North Carolina’s roads, there’s still a shortage of almost 200 troopers statewide.

The Citizen-Times of Asheville reports (http://avlne.ws/2d1vNfi ) that 30 new troopers graduated from the patrol Training Academy on Friday.

But there are still vacancies statewide largely because retirements and because several basic training school sessions were cut because of budget issues during the Great Recession.

The Patrol reports that from 2012 through 2015 almost 200 troopers retired while 50 more retired this year.

There are now about 1,600 troopers statewide responsible for patrolling about 78,000 miles of highway.