State puts gravel road plan on hold

[TexasTowelie]

AUSTIN — A plan to convert some drilling-affected roads in rural areas, particularly the Eagle Ford Shale zone, to gravel is slowing down after lawmakers raised serious concerns.

Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, said Tuesday that Texas Department of Transportation officials had signaled a 60-day delay in some of the planned conversions of 83 miles of paved roads to gravel.

-snip-

Counties must ask the state to reconsider the conversion from paved roads to gravel. Texas transportation officials will review the requests on a case-by-case basis, Uresti said, and will refrain from converting any roads during a 60-day review period.

“The oil and gas industry must get involved as well,” Uresti said. “It must be part of the solution.”

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/State-puts-gravel-road-plan-on-hold-4747473.php

[immoderate]

1. What!? They're gonna put a hold on progress??

--imm

[TexasTowelie]

2. I don't know if you've followed this story,

but they are actually talking about taking stretches of paved road that have 70 mph speed limits and returning them to gravel status and 30 mph speed limits. The roads have received so much damage from oil rig trucks that they are in poor condition due to pot holes and the state wouldn't come up with the funds to repair the roads. Two of the roads are in the county where I was raised--3 miles of the access road to I-37 and 15 miles along a farm-to-market road.

In addition, they are looking at putting stricter weight limits on roads covering 518 miles. With the stricter weight limits those trucks will be forced to detour to other highways placing additional wear and tear on those roads. On one of the state highways I used frequently during my college years (Texas 72), the shoulders on the highways have completely crumbled away while the speed limit remains at 70 mph on the two lane highway. There is a serious need for highways to receive repairs in about a dozen counties in Texas as the death rates and accident rates have escalated significantly over the last three years.

There is so much development in the Eagle Ford shale region of south Texas that rents tripled and even quadrupled in some areas. For awhile, the city manager in my home town was commuting from Corpus Christi which is 60 miles away due to the lack of available housing. The going rate at the Holiday Inn that was built within the past few years has climbed to $175 a night, occupancy rates are at 100% and the area is certainly not a vacation spot. Rooms at the labor camps have also climbed to $95 a night and you have to share a room with complete strangers. In some instances, they are hot-bedding which means that once you get out of bed for your work shift, someone else who just completed their shift is ready to climb in afterwards.

[immoderate]

3. Yes, that's what I'm calling "progress."

Ya think I should have used the ?

--imm

[TexasTowelie]

4. Probably--I wasn't certain as to how you read the article.

My apologies for misinterpreting your response.

[immoderate]

6. It's a tough call. I like to live dangerously.

--imm

[Downwinder]

5. Sink one of those rigs up to the motor mounts on a dirt/mud road

then they will be hollering. Did that down at Devine.