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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Contrary to the financial woes many states are experiencing, North Dakota is in the midst of an economic boom. One of the nation's largest wind farms is located in the state. In addition, according to the most recent U.S. Geological Survey estimate from April 2008, literally millions of barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable crude oil are in North Dakota. As a result, experts predict this alone could keep the economy humming for the next 20 years.

In a new Two Minute State DOT Update video, North Dakota Department of Transportation Director Francis Ziegler said that's the good news.

"Oil crews are working in areas where they are drilling three or four wells in one spot and it can take up to 2,000 vehicles to service a single well," said Ziegler. "When you add it up, we're putting a lot of wear and tear on the state's existing roads and bridges."

Ziegler says the big concern is in the oil-rich western section of North Dakota. A December 2010 study conducted by the North Dakota State University's Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute forecast the road investment needs for 17 oil-and-gas-producing counties during the next 20 years. The study determined that in the last five years, oil production in North Dakota has more than doubled from approximately 3,300 wells prior to 2005 to 5,200 active wells in 2010. The study forecast investment needs for all roads in those counties amounted to $907 million, or roughly $45 million annually during the 2011-30 period.

"We had roads that were in great shape and two months later we had two- or three-inch ruts in them. And so we're realizing we're going to need a lot more investment," Ziegler said.

Find out more about this issue as well as what the North Dakota DOT is doing to bring down the number of crossover crashes, especially on rural roads, by watching the full video at www.transportationtv.org.