Trucks reach the Notrees area by State Highway 302, and what they find when they turn off the highway decides how long a yard or a pad lasts. We build the heavy-haul paving and truck aprons for oilfield service operators and energy facilities in this part of west central Ector County, where a loaded water truck, a crane carrier and a pickup all cross the same pavement in a single morning.
The community is on SH 302 about 21 miles northwest of Odessa. It grew to serve the TXL oilfield, and by 1956 it had ten oil company camps. It sits at an elevation of 3,333 feet, which puts it high and open to wind, with little protection for a fresh pour. Today the area also hosts a 153 MW wind farm near Notrees that is connected to a grid energy storage system, which switched from lead-acid to lithium-ion batteries in 2017.
We mobilize crews to Notrees from Odessa along SH 302. Grading, trenching and buried lines are handled by trade partners we coordinate, and concrete trade partners arrive to place steel, pour and finish the concrete once the base has been shaped and checked.
Sites on an open highway
A site off SH 302 is usually flat, open and exposed. That makes layout simple but puts the wind to work on every fresh surface, and it means water from a storm has nowhere to go unless the grades carry it. We shape the apron so rain runs off toward a swale or ditch and never pools along the edge of the pavement.
Entry points need thought. A truck that turns off the highway at speed will brake and steer against the apron, so the entry slab is built thicker and wider than the rest of the pavement, with dowelled joints at the turning path. We confirm the driveway permit and the highway access rules before design, then draw a turning sketch for the longest trailer the owner expects. Planning the entry correctly the first time avoids rebuilding it after the first month.
Pads, shops and electrical sites
The buildings near Notrees fall into two groups. Oilfield service sites have a metal shop, an office and a yard, while energy facilities have small control buildings, equipment pads and access roads. For the first group we build thickened-edge shop slabs and tough yard paving. For the second we build precise equipment pads with embedded conduit, ground rods and anchor bolts set to the manufacturer's template.
Both groups use truck courts and dock aprons where deliveries are unloaded, and many also need equipment pads and machine foundations. A battery or substation pad has tight tolerances for flatness and edge detail because the equipment bolts down to it, and the engineer may require testing at several points in the pour.
Permits and specifications
Private yards in unincorporated areas often face different permit requirements than city lots. We ask the local permit office and the county what is needed for your parcel, and we check whether TxDOT must approve the driveway onto SH 302. For energy facilities, the owner or engineer typically issues a specification that sets mix design, testing and reinforcement, and we price to it.
The adopted building code applies to buildings, and the engineer's drawings govern pads and foundations. We keep submittals organized: mix designs, reinforcement schedules, certified testing reports and inspection records. At closeout, we hand over the file so the owner has what a lender, insurer or utility reviewer might ask for.
What changes the price of heavy-haul paving
Axle load and traffic count decide thickness, and thickness is the biggest line in a paving bid. A yard for light pickups can be thin. A yard where fully loaded trucks turn all day needs a thick, reinforced section with dowelled joints. We ask for the truck list and the number of trips per day so the thickness fits the use instead of being guessed.
Base preparation is the second driver. Open ground may need a compacted select or caliche layer, and that layer's thickness depends on the soil. The long haul from Odessa matters too, because it means extra trucks and mix controls. Joints, curbs and drainage structures add cost, and we price them separately. Owners can compare options, such as a thinner section with a shorter service life or a thicker one that lasts, with real numbers.
Oilfield camps to wind and storage
The ten oil company camps that existed by 1956 housed and supplied the people working the TXL field, and that history explains why the area is dotted with old yard sites that new owners now want to reuse. The modern economy still draws on oil, now joined by wind and grid storage, and each brings its own pavement and pad needs.
Buyers include oil, gas and midstream operators and utilities and energy companies. The first group wants durable yard pavement and wash areas. The second wants precise equipment pads, access roads and containment. Neighbors along the highway, such as Goldsmith and Kermit, share these needs, and concrete trade partners often serve several sites on the same run.
Early starts and planned convoys
On a site this exposed, a pour starts before sunrise. We schedule trucks to arrive in a steady convoy so the finishers are never waiting and the surface is never ahead of the crew. A batch plant call the day before confirms mix, temperature and truck count, and a second call at departure confirms timing.
Hot-weather measures such as cooled water, ice in the mix and an evaporation retarder are standard in summer. In winter, cold mornings slow set times, so we adjust the schedule and cover the slab. Wind advisories can delay a pour, and we keep a short list of alternate dates. A typical apron or yard pad is poured in one or two days and cured under blankets before traffic is allowed. Planned widening along the SH 302 corridor can also slow deliveries, so we check the road before each pour.
Send the truck list
Tell us the trucks, the trips per day and where the driveway meets the highway. We will drive out, check the grade and wind exposure and price the apron and pad as separate lines.
Common Questions
Do I need a TxDOT permit for a driveway onto SH 302?
Often yes, because SH 302 is a state highway. We ask the local permit office and TxDOT about access requirements before we draw the apron, and we design the entry to the approved width and turning path.
How thick should a truck apron be?
The thickness depends on axle loads and the number of trips. Fully loaded trucks and frequent turning need a thicker, reinforced section with dowelled joints. We recommend a section from your truck list, and your engineer can confirm it.
Can you pour equipment pads for energy facilities?
Yes. We build pads to the manufacturer's or engineer's drawings, with bolts set by template, embeds placed accurately and tolerances checked before and after the pour.
How do you deal with the wind at Notrees?
We pour early, shield exposed edges, apply evaporation retarder and start curing the moment the surface can hold a blanket. If gusts rise beyond what the surface can tolerate, we pause.
Who handles the grading and utilities?
Trade partners that we coordinate do the earthwork and buried lines, and we schedule them ahead of concrete trade partners.