The natural gas reserve in the Barnett Shale geological formation is one of the largest onshore natural gas reserves in the United States. The development of a natural gas well is a traffic-intensive operation that involves high volumes of truck traffic; saltwater traffic generated during the production phase is a major contributor to truck volume. The effect of traffic related to the natural gas industry on Texas highways is quantified. The oversized and overweight database maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (DOT) was used to quantify several key characteristics of the rig traffic. In addition, personnel from the Texas DOT's Fort Worth District provided critical information about construction and saltwater traffic, including truck types used, gross vehicular weights, number of trips, and haul distances. Pavement sections were located along the busiest trucking corridors to evaluate damage caused by the truck traffic associated with natural gas development. Results indicated the approximate damage due to rig traffic was 1.6%, to construction traffic was 13%, and to saltwater traffic was 6%, relative to the damage caused by design traffic in terms of rutting. Additional damage caused by the natural gas truck traffic translated into reduced service life for pavements in the region. Results indicated a reduced service life of approximately 5.6%, 29%, and 16% associated with rig, construction, and saltwater traffic, respectively, in terms of rutting.


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    Title :

    Evaluating the Effect of Natural Gas Developments on Highways


    Subtitle :

    Texas Case Study


    Additional title:

    Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board


    Contributors:


    Publication date :

    2012-01-01




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English




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