Company to invest $14.5 million in quarry

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Peter Morse, area manager for Vulcan Materials, stands near the construction of new gravel processors in Pacolet that will be operational by the end of the year.
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Vulcan Materials Co. is in the process of investing $14.5 million in its granite quarry in Pacolet, hoping to both increase production by 40 percent and open new coastal markets.

A large part of the investment is going into railway track, cars and a loading structure that will allow Vulcan to ship its crushed stone far beyond its current trucking radius.

"We're going to ship a lot of this stuff to the coast," said area production manager Peter Morse. "It's just such a boom -- there's such a demand for material."

Birmingham-based Vulcan Materials is the largest supplier in the nation of construction aggregates such as gravel, finely crushed rock and sand.

The Pacolet quarry currently mines about 1 million tons of rock per year, with most of it being crushed into aggregate for cement and concrete. Virtually none of it travels more than 20 miles from Pacolet, due to high trucking costs.

Hauling the crushed rock 20 miles almost doubles the $8-per-ton price.

By adding rail line and a loading structure, Vulcan expects to significantly cut shipping costs. It will continue to serve the Spartanburg area by truck but plans to increase production by at least 40 percent to meet demand from its new clients served by rail.

"We hope to double that (increase) over time," Morse said.

Vulcan hopes to connect the quarry to a nearby Norfolk Southern rail line in August and complete work on the site by October, Morse said. Delivery of 50 new rail cars is expected in December.

The Pacolet quarry improvements would make it one of the company's largest South Carolina sites. Vulcan has 11 South Carolina operations. The largest, a Columbia quarry, produces well over 2 million tons of crushed rock per year.

"Our whole infrastructure is built on crushed stone," said Jimmy Fleming, human resources manager for Vulcan.

Between 20,000 and 30,000 tons of the finely crushed rock go into paving a mile of highway, and a new home requires anywhere from 250 to 400 tons, Morse said.

Despite the expected increase in productivity, Morse said Vulcan plans to add only two or three extra workers to its staff of 30 at Pacolet. The increased production would come from existing workers using better equipment.

The new investment also includes three new 70-ton trucks and a loader.

Though the Pacolet quarry has been mined for nearly a century and is currently about 350 feet deep, Morse estimates it has at least 50 years of life left.

"We'll be here for a long, long time," Morse said.

Pacolet Mayor Elaine Harris praised Vulcan's new investment in the area.

"Mining has taken place in Pacolet since the mid-1800s," Harris said. "It's part of our heritage. We're excited to see them expand."

Alexander Morrison can be reached at 562-7215 or alex.morrison@shj.com.