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

  • Graphene-enhanced pavements join UK Live Labs programme
    September 1, 2020
    While some parts of the world are on pause, road construction and new technology trials are still underway, as these stories demonstrate - Kristina Smith reports
    Read More
  • Bonds for biggest US beltway road priced cheaper
    July 22, 2013
    The US$2.6 billion, 30-year municipal bonds issued to pay for the longest traffic beltway in America are reported to be priced cheaper at around $97, with a higher yield of 5.15%. Bloomberg claims the bonds for the Grand Parkway in Houston – a 290km (180 miles) road circling the city - could have been sold by the Texas Department of Transportation during a much healthier market period from as early as April this year. Also known as Texas State Highway 99, the Grand Parkway opened its first section in 1994.
    Read More
  • New Zealand's bridges survive earthquake
    February 7, 2012
    How is it that New Zealand's recent large and destructive earthquake did so little damage to the bridges in the quake zone? Mary Searle investigates. The magnitude 7.1 earthquake that hit the Canterbury region in New Zealand at 4.35am on Saturday, 4 September was similar in size to the quake that shook Haiti in January. However, the damage in Canterbury was minimal in comparison. A key contributor to this was New Zealand's preparedness for such an event. Positioned on a major fault line, New Zealand has ear
    Read More
  • US Senate approves federal highway programme
    June 24, 2014
    In the US, the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee has made a key move by approving a six-year reauthorisation of the federal highway programme. This is a landmark political step and is likely to have been the subject of much cross-party negotiation. The move will be of major importance for the transportation construction industry, which has suffered badly from low levels of business in recent years. This six-year package will provide a major stimulus to business for contractors and equipment firms
    Read More

Highlighted Content