US: The Carroll County Board of Commissioners has unanimously approved plans by Lehigh Cement Co. that will allow it to build an underground conveyor system from the company's New Windsor quarry to the plant in Union Bridge, Maryland.
The conveyor transportation systems are now allowed to be built in both the county's industrial zoning districts and the agricultural district. Conveyor systems will be prohibited in residential districts and in all other zoning types they will be listed as a conditional use, which means they would have to be approved by the county board of zoning appeals. Lehigh Cement has said that a conveyor system is the favoured method for transporting limestone from its quarry to the plant in Union Bridge, about 6km away, compared to other options like using rail or trucks.
Once completed the conveyer will carry about 12,000t/day of stone from the quarry to the plant. Lehigh needs to get material from the new quarry after its quarry in Union Bridge ends production in 2020. Lehigh says the conveyor will be 3m to 20m underground.