To evaluate the feasibility of an alternative to the costly construction and reclamation of haulage roads in surface coal mines, the Bureau of Mines contracted with the Dravo Corp., Denver, Colo., to conduct an engineering and economic evaluation of the haulage of coal out of the strip pit via conveyors running in culverts laid under the advancing spoil. The results of this study, which are presented in this paper, discuss the cost savings, plus the more subtle advantages and disadvantages of this novel haulage system in a number of alternative strip coal mine designs. The Bureau's plans for a demonstration of a prototype underspoil coal haulage system are also outlined.
