An operator in Andrews who stores fluids or sets heavy process equipment needs a pad that will hold liquid in and weight up. That is the concrete we build: containment slabs with curbs and sumps, equipment pads with the bolts in the right place, and the truck aprons that surround them. Oil is still the economic foundation of this city, and the pads that support it get hard use.
Andrews County has produced over 1 billion barrels of oil since the first well was drilled in 1929, and the pads, tank bases and service yards that came with that output keep needing repair and replacement. We build new work and tie into old slabs where an operator is expanding. Traffic can reach Andrews on U.S. 385, SH 115 or SH 176. Around-town truck movement also uses city-owned Andrews Loop 1910, opened during October 2013 at a cost of $13 million.
Utilities and earthwork go to trade partners we manage, and concrete trade partners pour and finish the concrete. We mobilize to Andrews for each job, with no yard or office in town.
Services that sit beside a containment pad
A process pad seldom stands alone. Containment pads and secondary containment are the core of the work here, and they connect to trench drains and concrete drainage that route spills and rain to a sump. Equipment pads carry pumps, compressors and tanks.
Heavy-haul entrances, curbs and bollards protect the equipment, and sawcutting and repair work keeps older pads in service when replacement is not yet on the budget.
Gravel yards and unpaved lots wear out under constant truck traffic. Converting a section to concrete near the entrance, scales or loading point often gives the best return, and we price it by area so an operator can phase the upgrade.
Hazards on a process site
Oil and gas operators run process sites with rules that a plain commercial job does not have. We attend the operator's orientation, follow the site's permit-to-work system and ask early where the live lines, tanks and flare areas are. Hot-work limits can affect form welding, and gas monitoring may be required near open vents.
Concrete trade partners also manage the concrete hazards: wet cement on the skin, heat illness in the summer and the movement of trucks near piping. Exclusion zones and spotters stay up until the pour is finished and the pumper has left.
Before the first load arrives, we hold a pre-job meeting with the operator's safety lead, walk the route trucks will take and confirm who has authority to stop work. Anyone can stop a pour that looks unsafe, and nobody is penalized for it. That is how a process site stays free of incidents.
What drives containment pricing
Containment is priced by volume, curb height, reinforcing and joint treatment. A larger sump adds formwork and a thicker slab around it. Joint sealants have to resist the stored product, and the right one can cost more than the concrete beneath it. Slope to the sump and the surface finish affect how fast we place.
We also look at the work around the pad: a base that must be stabilized, a utility that must be moved, a crossing that needs plates. Those items show up as separate lines so the operator can see what the containment itself costs.
Testing for containment adds cost too. A ponding test of a completed containment area takes water, time and a witness. If the specification asks for it, we add it to the schedule and the price so there is no argument on the last day.
Fitting a pour to a production schedule
Process work does not wait. We build a schedule backward from the date equipment arrives: base ready, forms and steel inspected, pour, cure, bolt-down. We line up ready-mix far enough ahead that a plant breakdown does not stall the sequence, and we hold a second source in reserve when the volume warrants it.
Wind in Andrews can shift a pour by hours. We watch the forecast, shift to early morning and keep curing materials on site. Cylinder breaks tell us when pumps and tanks can be set.
Ready-mix delivery out to Andrews adds travel time, which matters in summer. We order a mix with a longer working time, stage trucks to avoid a gap in the placement and pump or chute depending on the pad layout. A big containment pour is best done in one continuous day with a crew that does not change halfway through.
Reaching Andrews from the Basin
Andrews sits on US 385, which connects it to Odessa and Midland, and State Highway 115 runs toward Kermit. A 2022 federal grant brought $1.5 million to the Andrews Economic Development Corporation for Northwest Business Park. Road and water improvements were backed by an additional $2.4 million local contribution, helping make light-industrial lots available.
Odessa College and UT Permian Basin participated in the Andrews Business and Technology Center, which reached completion in January 2006. We work in and around the city on yards, pads and commercial buildings.
What a containment job includes
We begin with a pad that is graded to the engineer's slope, compacted and sealed against migration. Then we place reinforcing, set the formwork for curbs and sumps and pour the slab and walls in a sequence that avoids cold joints. Joint sealants go in after the concrete has cured and shrunk, and we test the containment by filling it where the specification calls for it.
Equipment foundations follow the manufacturer's drawings, with bolts located by template, grout bed prepared and vibration limits respected. See equipment pads and machine foundations for details on how those are built.
On existing process sites we often cut, core and remove portions of old pad before the new work. Concrete sawing, cutting and coring lets us make clean tie-in edges, and dowels epoxied into the old slab keep movement under control.
Tell us what the pad must hold
Send the product, the volume and the equipment list for your Andrews site. We will go through the drawings and the schedule with you before work begins.
Common Questions
Can you build containment to an engineer's drawings?
Yes. We build to the engineer's slopes, curb heights, reinforcing and joint details. If a question arises, we raise it before we bid, not after the concrete is in.
How do you seal joints in a containment slab?
With a sealant rated for the stored product, installed after the slab has cured and moved. Joint width and depth matter as much as the material. We follow the manufacturer's installation instructions.
Can pads be poured next to live equipment?
Often, with planning. We coordinate with the operator on exclusion zones, permits and tie-ins, and we stage our work so the production is not interrupted.
How long does a containment slab need to cure?
It varies with the mix, the temperature and what the pad will hold. We set a release schedule from cylinder breaks and let the operator know when to fill or load the pad.
Do you handle the permits?
Most operators have their own work permit system, and we follow it. For city work in Andrews, we confirm with the local permit office what the job requires.
Can you tie new pads into an old slab?
Yes. We saw a clean edge, drill and set dowels with epoxy, and pour the new section so movement happens at a planned joint. This keeps cracks from running through both slabs.