Using high-capacity Cat 988H front-end loaders, Horatio Cortez adds material to a stockpile while Carlos Vargos quickly and efficiently loads a customers truck. (Photos by Carl Thiemann)
White Rock Ramps Up To Supply Massive Runway Project
(1st/2nd Quarter 2012)
For a supply agreement this huge 7,000,000 tons of limestone aggregates delivered in just 14 months a little creative thinking went a long way.
White Rock Quarries and CEMEX USA are two of the countrys largest limestone quarries. However, Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airports plan to extend Runway 9R-27L almost 3,000 feet as it rises six stories tall required aggregate production levels not seen since the bustling years of last decade, instituted almost immediately.
So the companies teamed up and jointly bid the supply of the largest embankment fill project Ive seen in my 30 years in the industry, said WRQ Executive V.P. Eddie Allsopp.
A mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall will support the sides of the elevated runway, which on its eastern end will span multiple tunnels accommodating lanes of US-1 traffic and FEC railroad tracks.
White Rock Quarries and CEMEX USA each committed to supply extraordinary quantities within an extremely tight time frame. The joint bid also offered production assurance with a ready back-up by the other quarry, comparable product quality, and delivery by both truck and rail to the job site. Daily shipments are expected to average 30,000 to 35,000 tons.
To fulfill the massive limestone order, WRQ Operations Manager Ronnie VanLandingham, Mine Engineer Attila Szucs, Equipment Manager JR Payne and Sales Manager Rex Nealis helped create the sales and production plan, which includes night shift operations.
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Above left: Operating a high-capacity Cat 992G loader, Ruben Washington fills a steady procession of Cat 777 and 785 off-road haul trucks bringing shot rock to the processing plant. (Photos by Carl Thiemann)
Above right: Portable Crusher Operator Gary Moorer monitors the operation from his booth, while Loader Operator Heriberto Hernando adds material to the hopper.
Above: Completing another dragline cycle, White Rocks Marion 8200 adds 105 cu. yds. of shot material to the stockpile.