Construction on a $110 million new Rex Lumber sawmill and dimensional lumber production plant in greater Troy, Ala., started on July 17, 2018, and is expected to be completed in the spring of 2019 with operations beginning in June. The 80-acre earthwork and site preparation was recently completed in 46 days by W.S. Newell & Sons Inc.
The new facility is expected to create around 110 jobs and operate with two 40-hour shifts, producing more than 240 million board ft. annually. The plant is permitted to produce 360 million ft. per year. Rex Lumber additionally owns and operates three sawmills in Florida and Mississippi, which produce more than 575 million board ft. per year.
The project also will see the construction of a new three-lane industrial access road (2,700-ft. long) funded by the Alabama Industrial Access Committee and the Alabama Department of Transportation, as well as the resurfacing of 2.5 mi. of Orion Road to U.S. 231 just north of Troy.
More than 140 log trucks carrying heavy loads are expected to go back and forth from the mill daily, as well as a similar number of additional trucks hauling finished lumber products and the by-products chips and bark. A $1 million Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) is covering the cost of the 5-mi. resurfacing, with the Pike County Commission contributing an additional $500,000 to the project. The road work is expected to start in spring of 2019 and be completed in June of 2019.
“This project is further proof that the construction and timber industries are on the upswing in Alabama and are creating new job opportunities for our residents,” said Gov. Kay Ivey. “I am pleased to support this project as part of my administration’s commitment to encourage new or expanding business and industry in our state and provide jobs.”
Read more on this from Construction Equipment Guide at https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/crew-prepares-site-for-rex-lumbers-110m-sawmill/41819.