Ongoing construction projects around TCU’s campus are doing more than rerouting traffic and reshaping the skyline. They are also leaving a costly mark on car tires. 

Students and community members are increasingly finding themselves at local tire repair shops with punctures caused by debris from construction sites.

At Fort Worth Tire and Service, Shop Manager Dustin Dickinson said the uptick in cases has been impossible to ignore.

“We’ve got everything from screws to bolts to rebar from construction, just a lot of that going on,” Dickinson said. 

What was once an occasional inconvenience has become a recurring cost tied to the pace of campus growth.  The debris from construction sites often scatters onto roads near work zones, turning students’ daily commutes into a gamble. 

Over the past six months, Dickinson has seen a significant rise in students seeking help for these construction-related flats.

“I’ve seen probably about a 30 to 50% increase … maybe a little larger,” Dickinson said.

With TCU’s campus continuing to expand with new buildings and infrastructure upgrades, the problem shows no signs of stopping soon.

For many students already juggling tight budgets, the added expense and time of a tire repair can be frustrating. Yet, Dickinson said a typical fix is relatively quick and affordable compared to other automobile issues. 

“Depending on what kind of business we have in the parking lot, we can usually get you in and out within about 20 to 30 minutes,” Dickinson said. “Usually costs anywhere between $25 to $35,  just depending on what you have in your tire and what size you have on your vehicle.”

Until campus projects are completed, drivers may need to budget extra time and money for flats or avoid campus construction zones altogether.