Prefeasibility Access Road Design-Revised
40
construction would then be scheduled to begin in the second or third quarter of
2014. The mine would then be operational in the first or second quarter of 2015.
The calculated quantities for the road construction were used to produce the
construction schedule. The numbers of days required for major items of
construction were calculated using production rates observed on previous road
projects and estimates of obtainable rates provided by local contractors. The
schedules were then created using the required number of construction days and
allowing the mine to be operational by the first or second quarter of 2015. The
schedule for the Miller Creek Route shows that surveying will need to be completed
prior to snowfall in the fall of 2012 and road construction will need to begin in the
third quarter of 2013. In order for the Warren Peak Route to be completed and
ready for mine production by the second quarter of 2015, design of the road would
need to begin in the early second quarter of 2012. The full schedules for feasibility
through production are included in appendix G.
XIII RECOMMENDATION
Based on the design criteria and the data compiled and collected for this report, the
most favorable route is the Miller Creek Road. This route best meets the
requirements for the access road to the Bull Hill Mine. The existing terrain for this
route allows for a safe public road which best fits the design criteria. The design
grades on Miller creek are significantly better than the Warren Peak Route which
allow for fewer alignment changes. The Miller Creek Road also has the smaller
footprint which minimizes impacts to the environment, the land and the people who
use it. The Miller Creek Road has more open space and more areas with lighter
densities of tree cover. More open spaces allows for snow accumulations to
decrease by blowing away or melting. The estimated construction costs associated
with the Miller Creak Road Route are also lower than those of the Warren Peak Road
Route. This is due mostly to the lower estimated quantities of dirt required to be
moved, and the driving surface being gravel as opposed to asphalt pavement.
