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

  • Texas highway projects moving ahead
    June 4, 2018
    Two major highway projects are now moving ahead in Texas. One project is for the Grand Parkway around Houston, the other is for the construction of three bridges at an interchange on US 290. Grand Parkway Infrastructure is to construct a stretch of the Highway 99 Grand Parkway, which will run around Houston. In all the project for the 295km gyratory highway is costing US$1.28 billion. The package of works was awarded by the Texas Department of Transportation and involves building extra toll lanes as well a
  • Funding programme for US roads and bridges
    November 9, 2021
    A new funding programme for US roads and bridges will now commence.
  • Successful Eurobitume conference in Istanbul
    June 26, 2012
    The Eurasphalt & Eurobitume 2012 event in Turkey has attracted record attendance figures - Mike Woof reports A strong focus on sustainability has been the focus for the 5th Eurasphalt & Eurobitume Congress held in June 2012 at Turkey’s Istanbul Lutfi Kirdar Congress Centre. The conference had as its theme: Asphalt, the sustainable road to success and attracted the highest ever number of attendees for this four yearly event. In one of the opening presentations Turkey’s transport minister, Binali Yildirim, sp
  • Out with Russian bureaucracy, in with foreign road investment
    September 27, 2013
    Transport journalist Eugene Gerden reports on why foreign companies are likely to become keener to invest in Russia’s huge array of major road construction projects The Russian government led by president Vladimir Putin is stepping-up its efforts to get greater foreign company investment in Russian road building by creating favourable trading conditions, including the elimination of bureaucratic and administrative barriers.