SHINE — A company wants to build a four-mile conveyor belt to move gravel from its Shine pit to a new, 1,100-foot pier in Hood Canal.
From there, the gravel would be shipped out by barge.
The 15-foot-wide belt would run through forestland owned by Pope Resources, several hundred feet from any homes.
Fred Hill Materials Inc. of Poulsbo said the pier — which would be built near Thorndyke Bay on the canal — and four-mile-long conveyor belt from Shine south to the pier are needed due to a rising demand for gravel throughout the region and beyond.
Transporting gravel by barge would be more efficient than using trucks and trailers.
More than 30 new jobs could be added at the Shine pit operation, company officials said.
Company officials said applications to begin the pier project could be submitted to Jefferson County and other agencies in two months.
The 56-year-old company also owns concrete plants and mining operations in Port Townsend, Sequim, Poulsbo and south Kitsap County.
On April 1, the company acquired the Blake Sand & Gravel concrete and mining operation in Sequim.
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