Skip to main content

US$2bn repair bill for Texas roads damaged by drilling trucks

Texas has been left with a US$2billion bill to repair its drill damaged roads, according to a senior state transport official. John Barton, deputy executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation, said the estimated bill illustrated the toll gas and oil production had taken on the US state's roads. Judge for the DeWitt County in South Texas, Daryl Fowler, believes DeWitt alone will require as much as US$342million to repair or substitute roads stretching 392 miles.
July 6, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Texas has been left with a US$2billion bill to repair its drill damaged roads, according to a senior state transport official.

John Barton, deputy executive director of the 3499 Texas Department of Transportation, said the estimated bill illustrated the toll gas and oil production had taken on the US state's roads.

Judge for the DeWitt County in South Texas, Daryl Fowler, believes DeWitt alone will require as much as US$342million to repair or substitute roads stretching 392 miles. 6127 Pioneer Natural Resources and 6128 BHP Billiton provide financial contributions to the county whenever they drill a new well.

However, Fowler stressed how some firms make no contributions. He is pushing for legislative amendments to assist affected counties cover the costs related to exploiting shale gas. According to executive vice president of the Texas Oil and Gas Association, Deb Hastings, the key question is which party should cover those costs.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Weigh in motion systems aid safety, reduce costs
    February 14, 2012
    Advanced weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems can offer a quick payback time
  • Better road safety reduces Europe’s casualty figures
    October 2, 2014
    Improving road safety in the EU has resulted in a drop in the fatality rate. Official figures just released show that the number of people killed on Europe's roads fell by 8% in 2013. This follows on from the drop in fatalities of between 2011 and 2012 and Europe is on track to halve road deaths in the 2010-2020 period Figures released by the European Commission provide grounds for optimism and Antonio Avenoso, executive director of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) said, “We welcome the reductio
  • Plenary sessions to serve key role at 17th IRF World Meeting in Riyadh
    June 24, 2013
    Plenary sessions will set the stage for and are at the core of activities for the 17th IRF World Meeting & Exhibition. The opening session will celebrate the host country of Saudi Arabia, as well as the IRF’s first 65 years, including the federation’s many accomplishments throughout the decades and its commitment to professional training, education, road safety and the sharing of information and knowledge. This session will also remind those in attendance about the powerful links between a strong and stable
  • IREF fundraising campaign gains momentum
    April 12, 2012
    In March 1991, the International Road Educational Foundation (IREF), through the leadership of Dana Low, John Gehrett and Marion Dietrich, among others, established the Future Fund, an endowment-style funding mechanism to support scholarship awards for IRF Fellows.