Kalkreuth in traffic madness: 6000 tons pass through the town every day!

Kalkreuth in traffic madness: 6000 tons pass through the town every day!

There's a lot going on in Kalkreuth at the moment: The building materials plants on Wetterberg, under the management of managing director Michel Kurz, are in constant high activity. As Sächsische.de report, truck traffic has increased due to the excavation for the Taiwanese chip company ESMC and the supply of gravel and aggregates for asphalt production have increased significantly. An impressive 6,000 tons of material are delivered here and 5,000 tons are shipped out every day. For comparison: Normally this value is 2,500 to 3,000 tons per day.

The road to Radeburg and the motorway are currently the main transport routes, while 60 trucks, including 18 to 20 of the building materials works' own vehicles, are in use. “A lot is coming together,” says local mayor Harald Behrisch, who is worried about the increased dust pollution – especially for school children in the region. The increased activity also brings with it a second shift that runs from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., whereas normally only one shift is worked from 5 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Sustainability measures and expansion plans

Despite the increased traffic, importance is attached to dust control. A water supply of 180 cubic meters is used daily and irrigation at the 200 meter long exit ensures better air quality. In addition, the adjacent forest is preserved as a natural dust protection, and a sweeper keeps the local streets clean. Noise pollution caused by blasting is a thing of the past; the intensity of such activities has been reduced, which also contributes to reducing costs.

The Wetterberg open-cast mine has existed since 1927 and plans to pour 1.5 million tons of earth into a 100-meter-deep pit by the end of 2027. 350,000 tons of greywacke are expected to be mined within two years. The planned expansion of 15 hectares in the direction of Ebersbach has already been approved, with the prospect of 15 to 20 million tons of greywacke by 2035, as the building materials works explain.

Importance for the building materials industry

Grauwacke is a highly sought-after material that is not only processed in Kalkreuth. Overall values ​​from the industry also show that the building materials industry in Germany generated around 25.8 billion euros in sales in 2023, as Statista states. Companies like BVG Baustoff-Vertriebs-Gesellschaft mbH provide a wide range of products, from grit and sand to hydraulic stones and asphalt mixing plants.

• Produktion:
• Täglich bis zu 1 Million Tonnen Splitt
• Im Spitzenfall 1,3 Millionen Tonnen
• Überwachung:
• Drei bis vier Mitarbeiter des Oberbergamts kontrollieren die Betriebspläne

The building materials industry is severely affected by the current inflation and energy crisis, which is also reflected in the production of construction site waste. Nevertheless, the Kalkreuth location remains an essential pillar that not only secures jobs for 35 employees, but is also ideally positioned for the future.

Things remain exciting for the building materials plants on Wetterberg. While the challenges posed by increased truck traffic and environmental pollution should not be underestimated, people are optimistic about further developments at the location and the planned expansion.