Pecos County highways being resurfaced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE; May 10, 2006

Highway 18 getting new ‘seal coat’ surface

FORT STOCKTON – A highway construction crew will begin resurfacing State Highway 18 north of town this week –just one of several sections of area highways that are being given a fresh surface this Spring to extend the life to the roadways.

The same crew is now finishing up resurfacing 40 miles of Interstate 10 frontage roads from about 20 miles east of Fort Stockton to the Reeves County line east of Balmorhea, as well as a section of US 67 east of Fort Stockton from Interstate 10 to the Pecos River near Girvin.

Drivers should slow down when they encounter roadwork. Area highway work zones will be:

• US 385 from near Gomez Road north of Fort Stockton to Grandfalls
• Farm to Market Highway 1450 from State Highway 18 to the Reeves County line northwest of Coyanosa.

Work got underway May 1 on SH 349 near Sheffield. Barring cold weather or rain, the Pecos County work should be completed by May 20, according to Jerry McGuairt, the Texas Department of Transportation’s project manager in Fort Stockton.

Ronald R. Wagner & Co., L.P., of Kendalia, Texas, is putting down new asphalt surfacing across a 12-county area of West Texas this summer. Motorists will encounter Wagner workers who will direct them through the work zone and there will be brief lane closures in those areas where seal coat work is being done.

"Drivers should always use caution and drive carefully to avoid inflicting windshield and paint damage on other vehicles," said McGuairt. The work is part of an annual preventive maintenance program that involves 459 miles of highways across the 12-county TxDOT district in 2006. This year’s work will cost $15 million.

‘Seal coat’ is a rock and asphalt layer put down on the highway to reseal the surface and keep moisture from damaging the road base.

For more information: contact Glen W. Larum, Texas Department of Transportation, at (432) 498-4746.