KENEDY - On a recent sunny afternoon, the streets of this south central Texas community were teeming. Pickups, oil tankers and gravel trucks clogged U.S. 181. Cars were backed up at intersections. Trucks waited in a line at a gas station.
But there's something more than just traffic crowding the town's streets these days. There's fear.
"You take your life in your own hands by being out on the road right now," said Karnes County Sheriff David Jalufka.
In the past six months, Karnes County alone has seen 12 people die in traffic accidents, according to Jalufka. That's 12 times the number of fatalities reported to the Texas Department of Transportation in 2008, just as oil and gas drilling started to take off. So many people were killed on Texas 239 southeast of Kenedy - five since March 1 - that it's now known as the "death trap."
Karnes is one of more than a dozen counties inundated with traffic from the Eagle Ford Shale energy boom. In the counties most directly affected by Eagle Ford drilling, the biggest jump in fatal traffic accidents has involved commercial vehicles, according to an analysis of TxDOT numbers, increasing from six in 2008 to 24 last year.
1,050% increase
LaSalle County, for example, has had a 418 percent increase in that type of crash since 2008, and McMullen County a 1,050 percent increase. An exact count of traffic deaths is difficult to come by because local agencies sometimes don't amend crash reports to the Texas Department of Transportation when people die later.
As more companies and workers flock to the Eagle Ford Shale, roads are busier than ever and deteriorating quickly. While it's hard to pinpoint any one factor causing the traffic deaths, county and state officials are trying various ways to make the roads safer again.
Before the energy boom, this area of Texas was quiet, sleepy even. Not anymore.
Jalufka has seen Karnes County grow from 12,000 people to around 30,000. And he's not expecting the growth to stop anytime soon. In fact, Jalufka said, by next year, he anticipates another 20,000 to 30,000 people. Roads that in the past saw one or two trucks a day now carry 500. And Jalufka's heard predictions that the rush will last another 25 to 30 years.
"This isn't the small town it was a year and a half ago," said Kenedy Police Chief Duane DuBose, who has lived here for nine years.
DuBose said the traffic has increased dramatically and much of it is commercial.
A race for money
At first glance, the increase in crashes - and fatal crashes - appears to be easily explained by math. More people equals more crashes. But officials say there is more to the upswing.
It's fatigued drilling workers, driving home after a long shift, sometimes on unfamiliar roads. It's people in a hurry. It's not paying attention. It's bad roads.
The majority of the roads weren't designed to carry drilling rigs and shipments of water, officials said. Big trucks hauling heavy equipment or loads are constantly wearing down the roads and causing damage, and it's hard for the county and state to keep up.
In April, a pothole sent a vehicle packed with undocumented immigrants bouncing violently along Texas 792. Passengers were ejected, and two were killed.
John James Kotzur, 56, commutes 30 miles from Stockdale to Karnes City daily for work. He said he once counted 200 potholes on his route.
"I don't think these roads have the capacity to take on the increase we've had," said Zavala County Judge Joe Luna.
But maintaining roads isn't just a race against the clock. It's a race for money.
LaSalle County recently reached a financial settlement with drilling companies that county leaders said weren't doing their part to take care of the roads. Others have vowed to donate their time and money to keeping the community safe.
But it's not just road quality contributing to the crashes. It's driver error, too. In a few cases, oil field workers, worn out from long hours, have fallen asleep at the wheel.
"We've had several accidents related to fatigue," said Dimmit County Judge Fransisco Ponce. "They have to put in so many hours."
In fact, highway accidents were the leading cause of death among oil field workers nationally between 2003 and 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
A dilemma
Community members and leaders are quick to point out the economic benefits derived from drilling, but it presents a dilemma. "How do we increase public safety and still be able to have economic development?" said Sally Velasquez, spokeswoman for Frio County.
As the death toll grows, the counties and state are trying new ways to curb crashes.
The Texas Department of Public Safety recently initiated a campaign targeting Eagle Ford counties. Extra troopers and officers are looking for all kinds of violations, said Trooper Jason Reyes, in the hopes of encouraging safer driving from everyone on the road. So far, the sweeps have been effective, he said.
DuBose said he doesn't want an "us" versus "them" mentality to develop between the locals and those arriving from out-of-town to work.
"We want everyone to work together," he said.
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hkonnath@express-news.net
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