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the desire to acheive the most moderate road <br /> grade possible, given the surface topography. <br /> - adequacy to support the volume of traffic, <br /> weight and speed of the vehicles. <br /> - the desire to excavate the least possible <br /> yardage in making road cuts. <br /> The haul roads were constructed using standard <br /> side-cast methods that were common at that time. That is, <br /> material that was cut from the uphill side of the road was <br /> cast downhill . Usually, topsoil or vegetation was not <br /> removed prior to the downcasting of the material . The angle <br /> of the cuts and fills were typically at the angle of repose. <br /> No compaction techniques were used in stabilizing the roads. <br /> It should be noted, however, that this was an accepted <br /> practice for construction of roads in mountainous areas, and <br /> was not limited to the mining industry. <br /> In 1987, Mid-Continent Resources completed its Rock <br /> Tunnnel into #1 and #2" Mines. (#-T, #4, and #5 Mines are <br /> currently inactive, but future plans call for lateral <br /> extensions from the Rock Tunnel to these mines. ) All of the <br /> coal now produced is transported from the mine faces to the <br /> preparation plant by means of a conveyor belt. With one <br /> exception , the classification of the roads has been down <br /> graded from haul road to light-use road. The road system <br /> that extends from the preparation plant to the Rock Tunnel <br /> has been down-graded to an access road. However, <br /> Mid-Continent still reserves the right to use the roads as a <br /> means of hauling coal if required. <br /> METHOD OF STUDY <br /> In order to determine if the Coal Basin road system can <br /> be certified according to Rule 4.03'. 1 (e) the following <br /> steps were taken: <br /> - A review was made of Geo-Hydro's complete <br /> geotechnical documentation report of the road system <br /> (contained in Appendix V-E of Mid-Continent 's Permit <br /> Application) . <br /> - A comparison was made of the existing road <br /> characteristics and the design standards contained in Rule <br /> 4.03. 1. <br /> - A report entitled "Geotechnical Investigation of <br /> Mid-Continent Resources, Inc. Number Four Mine Test Plots" <br /> co-authored by myself and Bruce Collins, (also contained in <br /> Appendix V-E-21) was consulted to determine the effectiveness <br /> of the proposed reclamation plan. <br /> - Finally, I called upon personal observations of <br /> the road system made during the last two years. <br />