Drought Putting Cracks in New Stretch of 130
The completed Texas 130 will stretch from Georgetown to Mustang Ridge. Photo courtesy Wikimedia user RolypolymanBy Kelly Connelly
Parts of State Highway 130 southeast of Austin may need up to $30 million worth of repairs thanks to the drought. The road was built on clay that dried out and contracted, causing the asphalt to crack.
The total cost of the project is over $1.3 billion. But none of it will come from taxpayers.
Chris Lippincott, a spokesman for State Highway 130 Concession Co., the company building the toll road, says they are doing repairs and installing moisture barriers to prevent the road surface from cracking in the future.
“The moisture barriers are made up of particular types of concrete and soil that’s compacted in a way that will keep moist areas separated from dry areas, and that reduces the expansion and contraction of the clay soil that we find in some parts of central Texas,” Lippincott said.
Repairs are being done on the stretch between Mustang Ridge and Seguin. Despite the damage, the toll road is expected to open as planned in November.
