Loving County held a ground breaking ceremony for the construction of a new Justice of Peace and DPS Commercial Motor Vehicle Inspection Station in Mentone Monday.
The project is in response to the increased commercial vehicle traffic in the Permian Basin, to provide DPS officers and inspectors a safe place to conduct inspections, and to improve commercial motor vehicle safety compliance.
Commercial motor vehicles are inspected to verify the driver’s qualifications and log book; that the tractor and trailer are functioning properly with all the required safety equipment and signage; and that the cargo is secured properly and within allowable weight limits.
The design team of LCA, Beyond Engineering & Testing, and Jason S. Dean Architects have been collaborating on the project with DPS for almost a year to get the project from concept to design then construction.
Similar CMV Inspection station projects in Abernathy, Loraine, and Seguin were studied to make this one of the most functional, practical, and technologically advanced inspections stations within the State of Texas.
Recent traffic counts conducted by TxDOT and Loving County show between 6,000 and 12,000 vehicles per a day traveling through Mentone, with upwards of 30% of that traffic being commercial vehicles and 18 wheelers. Traffic counts should continue to grow in the area as oil and gas activities increase.
The main features of the new inspection station include; a 70-foot long scale with a capacity to weight vehicles up to 200,000 pounds; two below ground inspection pits to allow inspectors to walk underneath the trucks; a 90-foot wide by 200-foot long canopy to cover the main inspection area; three automated electronic screening systems with weigh-in-motion capabilities; one thermal imaging system to screen vehicles pulling into the inspection station; four casitas to house DPS inspection personnel; a 5,000 square foot office building for the Justice of the Peace, Constable, and DPS personnel; and ample paving for queueing, inspecting, and parking of commercial vehicles that are tagged out for repair.
Local general contractor Onyx won the competitive bid. Construction started on Oct. 19 and is scheduled for completion in December 2023. Loving County is spending just over $15 million to build the facilities and outfit it with the latest vehicle inspection technology.
A news release said Loving County is grateful for the full support of Major Dennett, Captain Teeter, Captain Scales, Lieutenant Luna, Senior Corporal Usner, and their fellow DPS comrades for their helpful insights into designing this facility, it could not have been done without them. Loving County is hopeful that the use of the automated electronic imaging system along with a inspection area under the canopy, allow for the safe inspection of the commercial vehicles, reduce the number of vehicle accidents in the area, and increases the safety of the traveling public to help TxDOT end the streak of daily deaths on Texas roadways.
