Martin Marietta quarry to transition to underground operation

Martin Marietta plans to transition its Fort Calhoun Quarry in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, from an open-pit mining operation to an underground mining operation, the (Blair, Nebraska) Pilot-Tribune & Enterprise reports.

Martin Marietta hopes to begin constructing two tunnels that will run toward the quarry ground to the north side of the current pit by early 2017. According to the Pilot-Tribune & Enterprise, the existing pit will remain open and become the entrance for the underground operation. Through this project, the quarry will construct a system of underground rooms and tunnels for limestone mining.

The Fort Calhoun Quarry currently employs 59 people. The Pilot-Tribune & Enterprise reports this expansion could add another 20 jobs to the site. Martin Marietta aims to have the underground operation open within five years.

Todd Clock, vice president of Martin Marietta’s Des Moines District, told the Pilot-Tribune & Enterprise that the project is still in its infancy stages, but that the company is committed to this location. Although the company’s original plan was to begin a new open-pit mine on land, going underground will allow nearby farm operations to continue above ground, Clock adds.