The Economic Impact Energy production and extraction obviously have a powerful impact on local economies. For example, the Eagle Ford Shale Formation in southern Texas, after a $30 billion play development in 2013, was responsible for a $60 billion economic impact on south Texas and for 115,000 jobs, all by 2015. However, this benefit has come at a cost. As …
America’s Crumbling Infrastructure and What It Means for Tourism
Some Background on America’s Crumbling Infrastructure In May 2020, TRIP, a transportation research nonprofit, published a report that assessed the condition of rural America’s crumbling infrastructure. Its findings were not positive. First, 50% of all rural, non-highway roads are rated between poor and fair. Roads in this condition have cracking, potholes and ruts, to the point that the TRIP report states they “often …
The Key to Successfully Converting Paved to Unpaved Roads – Part 2
In a previous article, we looked at the growing trend of converting paved to unpaved roads. Unpaving rural, low-volume asphalt roads has financial and other benefits that are driving local road agencies to take this seemingly odd – yet innovative – step. What are the challenges to converting paved to unpaved roads? How does Midwest’s solution address all of these …
The Safest Way to Road Dust Control
For community residents that live near unpaved roads, there’s an obvious, and understandable, concern about the health, safety and environmental impact of road dust control measures used on their roads. There are a number of ways that chemical dust control products can move from the intended location: Over-spraying the sides of the road during application can leak the product into …
The Key to Successfully Converting Paved to Unpaved Roads
In a recent two-part series on how to think about the costs associated with unpaved roads, we introduced the idea that utilizing effective dust control and stabilization can allow you to create a road that has the low overall carrying costs of a gravel road but also has the strength and durability of a paved road. Today we’ll be tackling a …