A limestone quarry on Drummond Island in the eastern Upper Peninsula is receiving $10.1 million in federal funding to upgrade its operations.
The Drummond Dolomite facility mine ships out more than a million tons of limestone a year, but an undersized port has kept larger ships from accessing the island.
Now, the project will expand the loading dock and improve the seawall. This is expected to increase the volume of shipments by 20%, according to the Michigan Infrastructure Office.
Chris Olsen is the president of the Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation, which applied for the funding. He said the upgrades will improve worker safety and cut down on the number of trips necessary to transport dolomite.
"It also allows more tons to be hauled more efficiently," Olsen said. "(Fewer trips with) larger vessels take less fuel from an environmental standpoint."
The limestone minerals from the island are used to produce steel, build roads and can be used as a soil amendment in farming.
"This is a critical piece of port infrastructure that allows Michigan to become more adaptable to the needs of minerals that are mined here," Olsen said.
Olsen said assessment for project will start in January, but it's still unclear when construction will begin.
According to the Lake Carriers' Association, a group that represents US-flagged ships in the Great Lakes, nearly three million tons of limestone were shipped across the Great Lakes in November, a 4.9% decrease when compared to November 2023.
