Coal Conveyor that Crosses Highway to be Removed

The tube that for decades served as a landmark along the road in central North Dakota is being removed Monday.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ The huge white tube between Washburn and Underwood that once carried coal over U.S. Highway 83 is coming down.

The Bismarck Tribune reports the tube that for decades served as a landmark along the road in central North Dakota is being removed Monday.

It’s part of a 3-mile conveyor that the Falkirk Mining Co. installed in 1992 to transport coal from its mining operations east of the highway to its handling facilities on the west side. The company last used the conveyor in 2001.

In the years since, Falkirk has relied on large trucks, which can each haul more than 200 tons of coal.

The vehicles pass underneath the highway to Great River Energy’s Coal Creek Station. The power plant burns it to generate electricity.