Adrian Hedden
El Rito Media
achedden@currentargus.com

Eddy County plans to spend about $3.8 million on county road improvements amid increased traffic from the oil and gas industry.

Public Works Director Jason Burns first asked county commissioners at Tuesday’s meeting to transfer $1.8 million from the county’s construction fund to its road maintenance fund for micro sealing work on roads in McNew Subdivision and Magnum and Longhorn roads.

The funding would also support improvements at intersections at Hermosa and Halderman roads; Burton and Magnum roads; and Hilltop Road and U.S. Highway 82 along with several south of Carlsbad.

Following unanimous approval of the transfer, Burns also requested and received approval for a $2 million appropriation from the county’s general fund for chip sealing work on Calvani and Ferguson roads.

He said the requests were in response to concerns voiced by residents in those areas, amid heavy industrial traffic from the nearby oil and gas industry. The projects will be completed by the end of the year, Burns said.

“We’ve heard several concerns,” he said. “We’ve done the west side, now we’re going to the east side. There’s a lot of traffic there with our oil and gas industry.”

District 1 County Commissioner Ernie Carlson said Calvani and Ferguson roads were in his district, and he’s had several constituents reach out about damage.

“I can tell you I get lots and lots of calls. People are falling into potholes, and seeing it chipping away,” Carlson said. “I would really encourage us to do this.”

County forms ‘freeholder board’

A resolution approved by commissioners as proposed by Eddy County Manager Mike Gallagher formed the county’s first “freeholder board” to make decisions about abandonment or adoption of roadways or rights of way in the county.

The five-person board would consist of three county workers assigned permanently, and two members of the public appointed by the commission.

The board would convene to hear proposals for the county to either adopt or abandon unused roadway or rights of way, which are used by government or private landowners to cross lands under management by different entities for industrial uses such as agriculture or oil and gas operations.

Carlson said the board, which would consider such proposals on a case-by-case basis would ensure transparency in the process before making recommendations to the Eddy County Commission, which would have the final say.

“I think it would be great to have a specific group that can hear the case and make those decisions,” he said.