Reliable Access Roads for Oil and Gas Sites
by Scott Phillips, P.E., on July 22, 2019
As the demand for energy grows, oil and gas producers are drilling in more remote locations than ever before. These sites are often extremely challenging to reach since they, and the access roads leading to them, are often built on top of poor soils with weak, underlying subgrades. When subjected to continuous, and heavy, loads, these site access roads and storage areas can quickly deteriorate and negatively impact both speed and productivity. And, when you can't reach the well site on-time and on-budget, how are you going to improve your bottom line?
Now, all-weather, uninterrupted access to, from and around your well site, structures, tank batteries, etc., can be a reality with TriAx geogrid.
TriAx geogrid from Tensar is used in access road and well pad construction to stabilize the soil you build on. This significantly improves the performance and longevity of these structures, while drastically reducing your aggregate requirement. And, because surfaces stabilized with TriAx geogrid can support heavier loads, they continue to perform for longer periods of time, thus saving you time and money on future maintenance.
What benefits can you expect when you build with TriAx geogrid?
- Cost savings: Save up to 50% on construction by reducing aggregate requirements
- Improved road surface quality to create longer lasting access roads with less maintenance issues
- Increased safety and operating speeds due to improved road quality
- Year-round access since roads are unaffected by freeze-thaw cycles and moisture
Real World Example
TriAx Geogrid was used to stabilize 9.5 miles of weak access roads on an oil and natural gas site in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. The reduced aggregate requirements saved the project owner an estimated $1.2 million in material and installation costs. Read more about it.
How does your soil stabilization method compare?
There are many soil stabilization methods out there. We've taken the most popular methods and broken them down into an easy-to-use chart. This chart looks at factors such as construction costs, time to construct and maintenance costs. Now, you can understand the true costs involved and make a more informed decision for your next access road project.