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If a 2-lane road isn't sufficient then the facility's driveway won't be sufficient either. I'm guessing that their driveway won't be open to public traffic and

If a 2-lane road isn't sufficient then the facility's driveway won't be sufficient either. I'm guessing that their driveway won't be open to public traffic and would be built to withstand constant use by massively heavier trucks than are commonly seen on US2, so I don't think this is an apples-apples comparison.

throwaway0a5e 5y ago
The local roads already carry plenty of logging traffic that grosses 80k, for highly inclusive values of 80k (lol).
- ineedasername 5y ago
  It's not just about weight, it's about density. Spodumene is about twice the weight if fresh cut wood on a ft^3 basis. A truck load of 80k Spodumene is going to be putting it's weight down over a much smaller foot print, and wear & tear on a road doesn't necessarily scale linearly so it's going to wear the roads significantly faster than wood. In my area there are highways where cargo trailers can't drive. The highways they're allowed on require more frequent maintenance. The issue isn't a show-stopper, but you can't just say "it's a two lane highway, that's enough" and "we already have heavy loads on the road, it will be fine". The are more variables to account for when determining the infrastructure necessary for large industrial operations.
mywittyname 5y ago
Kentucky is full of mountain roads with questionable maintenance and build quality which are used by coal and mining trucks all the time. They are basically one lane roads too. As long as the "road" is kind of flat and made of something slightly more sturdy than sand, these trucks can get through.
- ineedasername 5y ago
  I don't think the Kentucky coal mining scene is the ideal comparison here or what we should hold up as the aspirational standard for new initiatives. Especially when you say the roads are poorly maintained, and especially when the Maine road in question isn't just some mountain road, it's the main highway through a significant portion of Maine, and a secondary highway (parallel to I 95) through other parts. What you describe on Kentucky sounds minimally adequate for its own needs and not at all comparable to this situation.

throwaway0a5e 5y ago

The local roads already carry plenty of logging traffic that grosses 80k, for highly inclusive values of 80k (lol).

ineedasername 5y ago
It's not just about weight, it's about density. Spodumene is about twice the weight if fresh cut wood on a ft^3 basis. A truck load of 80k Spodumene is going to be putting it's weight down over a much smaller foot print, and wear & tear on a road doesn't necessarily scale linearly so it's going to wear the roads significantly faster than wood. In my area there are highways where cargo trailers can't drive. The highways they're allowed on require more frequent maintenance. The issue isn't a show-stopper, but you can't just say "it's a two lane highway, that's enough" and "we already have heavy loads on the road, it will be fine". The are more variables to account for when determining the infrastructure necessary for large industrial operations.

mywittyname 5y ago

Kentucky is full of mountain roads with questionable maintenance and build quality which are used by coal and mining trucks all the time. They are basically one lane roads too. As long as the "road" is kind of flat and made of something slightly more sturdy than sand, these trucks can get through.

ineedasername 5y ago
I don't think the Kentucky coal mining scene is the ideal comparison here or what we should hold up as the aspirational standard for new initiatives. Especially when you say the roads are poorly maintained, and especially when the Maine road in question isn't just some mountain road, it's the main highway through a significant portion of Maine, and a secondary highway (parallel to I 95) through other parts. What you describe on Kentucky sounds minimally adequate for its own needs and not at all comparable to this situation.