(The Center Square) – Caddo Parish officials say their proactive measures will ensure that if construction of the data center causes significant roadway damage, the developer will be held responsible for the costs.
Enforcement and recovery efforts are active and ongoing. The parish is currently negotiating a $70,000 invoice with a gas extraction company, and they expect to collect the fine.
“They said they would pay it,” said Tim Weaver, public works director.
While it’s difficult to hold one entity responsible when there are multiple commercial companies sharing the same roadway, that is not the case for the data center, which is being constructed in a rural area and is highly visible.
Construction of the Stateline Data Center west of Blanchard will involve large commercial trucks hauling heavy equipment and materials on parish roads for about five to seven years, as the massive buildings are built in phases. STACK Infrastructure and Amazon Web Services are partnering on a $12 billion project for two campuses, one in Caddo and one Bossier Parish.
“We had plenty of notice so we know where it’s at and how to get there,” said Weaver.
Weaver’s team digitally documented present road conditions in order to monitor future damage, which is governed by an ordinance that outlines what abusive use of a road is.
“If there’s damage, we will send them a bill,” Weaver said.
The parish, however, does not know which road the developer will select as its primary route. That issue is still under discussion.
Weaver said there are five roads to choose from and he expects them to select one, so damage would be limited to a single route that can be monitored. Driving east from Texas would place the least strain on Caddo roads.
“There’s gonna be a lot of concrete out there,” Weaver said. “They will be making it on site but you have to (transport) the material to make it.”
Public works has one commercial vehicle enforcement officer who inspects commercial trucks for code or traffic violations. There are approximately 767 miles of parish roads and 165 bridges.
All overweight and oversized loads are required to obtain a permit, which brought in $400,000 in fees last year. Nearly all of the department’s functions are funded by property and sales taxes.
“Most of our roads will hold up to the traffic, but the non-major roads cannot,” Weaver said, adding the online permit system has helped reduce fines.
