Energy Exploration and Highway Preservation: New Task Force Seeks Balance

It's hard to imagine Texas without the petroleum industry, and it's equally as difficult to picture Texas without a state-of-the art transportation system. In theory, the two work together, the highways allowing access to petroleum exploration and exploitation, which in turn brings money to Texas for more roads. Only that's not quite how it works in practice. In fact, the energy sector of the Texas economy, which now includes wind energy, is growing so quickly that the highway system is having trouble keeping up with repairs, let alone improvements and expansion. That reality prompted TxDOT's executive director, Phil Wilson, to take the lead in forming the Task Force on Texas' Energy Sector Roadway Needs in March of this year, with the stated goals of bringing together state agencies, local governments and the energy industry to improve not only the conditions of the roadways impacted by the energy sector, but the safety and longevity of those roads as well. For more information on the task force and its mission,

log on to www.roadsfortexasenergy.com.