Increased drilling activity is pumping millions of dollars into the Texas economy, but some government officials are wary it may be doing more harm than good. According to Texas Department of Transportation officials, it is going to cost the state more than $2 billion to fix roads damaged by the large amount of drilling activity.
City officials say the drilling boom has caused them to increase the amount of money dedicated to fixing damaged roads. The areas with the most damage say they are working with some of the larger energy companies to form an agreement that would help cover costs, but some cities say not all energy companies are on board of pitching in.
The road surfaces are deteriorating under the weight of heavy fracking equipment. Officials say the roads are in poor condition because they were never designed to carry drilling rigs or oil and water tankers.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram says that less than 60 percent of the roads in Johnson County are up to standard. Officials also say the roads are creating dangerous conditions to drivers and leading to more crashes.
However, according to the UTSA, South Texas’s Eagle Ford Shale supported nearly 48,000 jobs last year and pumped more than $25 billion into the economy.
So far, no data has been released linking the damaged roads to more crashes. City officials say the next step in the addressing the problem will be developing a plan for who will fund the improvements.