Kennecott Wants New Road for Eagle Mine

Kennecott Minerals wants to team up to build a new $50-million road in western Marquette County.

They’re calling it Woodland Road.

It would be an alternate route from the proposed Eagle Mine to the planned processing center at the former Humboldt Mill.

It would be a 22-mile unpaved road from AAA Road in Champion to US-41 in Humboldt.

Woodland Road would be privately owned and privately maintained, but open to the public.

Kennecott would foot the bill to have it built.

The Michigan Forest Products Council, A. Lindberg & Sons and John Jilbert of Jilbert Dairy are joining Kennecott to form Woodland Road, LLC.

If the group can get the wetland permits it needs, it plans to have the road open by 2013.

The DEQ permit process for the road should take a few months, with a public comment period included in that.