Court approves short road-use agreement for Trecora/Exxon work on Hatcherville Road, lowers bond

The Commissioners Court approved a routing and road use agreement to allow Trecora and Exxon-related contractors to access facilities on County Road 486 (Hatcherville Road) for less than a week of work to replace a leaking culvert.

ExxonMobil process manager Carl Cox told the court the culvert beneath the road is leaking and the plan is to replace a 4-foot-diameter concrete culvert, with Carter Construction scheduled to begin the work Thursday evening. Cox said the Coastal Water Authority is funding the culvert installation and Chambers County will perform the roadway repairs. The companies also provided a pre-construction video of the road.

County officials said the work is short term — proposed Oct. 12–15 in the meeting discussion — and the court agreed to lower the typical bond amount to $100,000 because the county has invested heavily in prior repairs to that road. The judge said video documentation of the road condition had been completed and county staff would inspect the work.

Why it matters: The agreed bond reduction and short duration were contingent on the preconstruction video and the county’s ability to require repairs to meet county specifications. Commissioners emphasized that the agreement is not the same as more-comprehensive road-use contracts used for long-term heavy hauling; Commissioner Carbowski and others discussed the difference.

Process notes: The court approved the motion and directed staff to proceed with the executed agreement. County and Chambers County staff said they had coordinated with the contractor and with the Chambers County commissioner and judge on timing and responsibilities.