Processing and midstream owners looking at ground in the Cotton Flat community and the industrial land southeast of Midland need slabs that carry heavy equipment, drain to a sump and are finished before the vendor crew arrives. We pour that work, and we build the schedule around the date the unit must be set rather than around our own convenience.
Cotton Flat is an unincorporated community in Midland County, which matters for a builder because there is no city permit desk to visit. Owners deal with county rules and with the state, and that is part of why the Interstate 20 work here shapes so many decisions. A state accessibility filing lists the reconstruction of I-20 at Cotton Flat Road, including main lanes and frontage roads from STA 750+00 to STA 824+00, at an estimated $46.7 million, with work running from May 1, 2022 to January 1, 2025.
A City of Midland release dated September 4, 2025 lists a TxDOT signal project at I-20 and Cotton Flat Road as awarded. For an owner with a plant pad nearby, that signal will change how trucks enter and leave, and we ask about it at the first meeting. We coordinate the plant’s concrete placements with excavation and utility work, keeping the specialist scopes tied to equipment-setting dates.
How we plan a processing slab
We start with the equipment list. Compressors, separators, pumps, tanks and skids each have a weight, a footprint and a tolerance in the vendor's drawings, and the slab design follows from them. We ask the owner's rep for those drawings, the soils report and the commissioning date before proposing a section, since a guess at any of the three can force a redesign later.
From that package we write a pour calendar that works backward from the set date. It shows forming, steel placement, inspection, the pour, curing, strength confirmation and the day the vendor crane arrives. Each step has an owner, and the calendar goes to the rep, the engineer and the vendor so no one is surprised by a date. When the owner's operating schedule limits access to certain days, we plan around those days in writing.
Before the forms close we hold a short walk with the inspector and the rep to confirm sleeves, embedded plates, bolt templates and the elevation of the finished surface. Anything that needs correction after the pour is expensive, so we spend the time up front.
Slabs, pads and containment
Our typical scope here includes equipment pads and machine foundations for rotating equipment, containment pads with curbs and sumps, and truck courts and dock aprons where product is loaded. Each of those elements sits in the proposal as a separate line, with its thickness, reinforcement and finish stated.
For larger foundations that carry vibrating equipment, mass concrete pours can come into play. They call for a plan to control heat, a continuous supply of mix and a placement sequence that avoids cold joints. We discuss those needs with the engineer before pricing so that the owner does not receive a number that ignores them.
Walks, curbs and access drives complete the package, and we bring in trade partners for pipe trenches that need to be open before a slab is poured.
What moves the number on a plant slab
Section thickness, reinforcement density and the number of separate pours account for most of the price. A containment pad with deep curbs and a sump costs more than a flat apron, because the forming is slower and the finishing more careful. Vendor tolerances can add cost too, since a tighter flatness requirement means more time on the surface and a stricter weather plan.
Travel and haul are the next layer. Ready-mix leaves the Midland batch plants and travels to the southeast side of the county, and we show mobilization and haul as separate lines. If the owner can combine several pads into one placement, we show the saving, and if the commissioning date forces separate pours, we explain the cost of each additional trip.
Safety around operating plants
A site next to a working process unit has hazards beyond those on a typical pad. We attend the owner's site orientation, follow the permit-to-work system and keep the concrete trade partner out of any area the operator has marked as restricted. Gas monitoring, hot work rules and badge requirements are the owner's, and we build the time they take into the calendar.
On the highway side, a pour that needs trucks to use the I-20 frontage roads requires a traffic plan. We place a flagger where mixers cross a public lane, brief each driver on the route and check for state work before each pour day.
Soils, drainage and the setting date
The ground on this side of the county varies, and a soils report is the only reliable guide to what the subgrade will do under a loaded slab. We read the report for bearing values, expansion potential and groundwater, and we ask the engineer whether the pad needs treated or replaced soil. Earthwork is coordinated with trade partners, and we verify the completed subgrade before the first truck is released.
Drainage deserves equal attention. A processing slab sheds rain and spilled fluid, and the slope to the sump or collection point has to work with the finished grade of the yard. We check elevations with a level before and after the pour and record both for the owner's file.
The setting date is the last consideration. If a vendor crew will arrive on a fixed day, a pour must be completed and cured early enough to allow for any delay. We build a buffer into the calendar so wet weather does not leave a crane rental idle.
Concrete placement and finishing scope
On a plant site, concrete specialists carry the pad through formwork, reinforcing and embed installation before placing the mix and finishing it to the owner's flatness requirement. They also saw or form the joints and apply the curing method the engineer specifies.
Underground utilities, grading and soil work are coordinated with trade partners. We keep a shared calendar with them so the trench is closed and inspected before concrete formwork starts. Owners comparing sites often weigh this side of town against the Loop 250 and SH 349 corridor on the west side, and we coordinate each property's concrete handoffs with Midland projects when schedules align. The buyers are mostly in oil, gas and midstream.
Send the equipment list and set date
Share the vendor drawings, the geotechnical report and your setting date. We will reply with a pour calendar and a scope you can review with your engineer.
Common Questions
Is a permit needed for a slab in an unincorporated area?
Rules differ from site to site. We ask the owner's rep which permits apply, confirm county and state requirements before mobilizing and include any inspection holds in the calendar.
How do the I-20 improvements affect my site access?
The signal project and the frontage-road work change where trucks can enter and leave. We check the current status before each pour and give your rep the route we plan to use.
Can you pour around existing operating equipment?
Yes, with a plan. We coordinate access with the operator, barricade the work zone and schedule noisy or dusty work for the hours the operator specifies.
What do you need to quote a containment pad?
Drawings or a sketch with the pad size, curb height, sump location and the fluids stored there. A geotechnical report and your in-service date help us price it accurately.
How early should I send the vendor drawings?
As early as you have them. Embeds, bolt templates and sleeve locations drive the forming plan, and late changes cost more than early questions.