Published on May 13, 2016
At Midas Gold, we like to be prepared. As we are planning for construction and development of the Stibnite Gold Project site, which is still a few years off, we are carefully considering how we can reduce our impacts on the roads. The main access to the project will leave Highway 55 at Cascade and east along the Warm Lake Road to Landmark. We share these roads with homeowners and recreationalists and we want to make sure we are as considerate as possible.
We know many people are out during the weekends, especially during the sunny summer months. We are committed to limiting our use of the roads during these times as much as possible. All of our employees will be bused to the site for their two-week shifts during the work week. We will also limit the number of trips we have to take with our supplies by consolidating all of our supplies at a logistics site and concentrating road use during daylight hours and the five day work week.
Safety on the roads is incredibly important. We will ensure the trucks we are using are an appropriate size for the backcountry and pilot cars will be used when we are transporting fuel or oversized loads to site. We also plan to evaluate the needs of slow traffic lanes in order to reduce the chances of people trying to pass in dangerous places. At present, we estimate the heavy vehicle annual daily traffic average to be 50 one way trips or 25 round trips per day. By reducing traffic on the weekends, the traffic during the week increases to 70 one way trips. We are presently evaluating how we can reduce the number of trips. For instance, one idea we are considering is increasing truck or bus capacities year round or during certain times of the year.
When our trucks are on the road, we want them to be as quiet and as safe as possible. We will ensure every vehicle has its brakes, and muffler system inspected on a regular basis. Modern engine brake design requires the use, and regular maintenance, of engine brake muffler systems to meet federal and state regulated noise standards. To confirm our vehicles meet these standards, we will do noise testing and restrict the use of engine brakes in certain areas on the road.
As we get closer to work starting up at the site, we will make sure we share more detailed plans with the community.
