the Web site for information about Martin Marietta Materials’ limestone quarry operation in Medina County, Texas.  Rock — crushed stone used in the construction of homes, roads, schools and churches — is our product.  Rail is how we deliver it.  A rail spur on private land will alleviate the need for heavy truck traffic on Medina County roads.

Martin Marietta has entered into an agreement with local landowners for a long-term lease to extract limestone from a 1,200-acre site seven miles north of U.S. Highway 90 between D’Hanis and Hondo.  Martin Marietta has purchased additional land to build a rail spur that will link the quarry to the existing rail line at Highway 90.  Rail is the safest (one train replaces more than four hundred trucks), cleanest (rail releases three times fewer emissions than trucks) and most efficient (rail is two to four times more fuel efficient than trucking) method to deliver our product.  We expect to begin quarrying operations in 2011.

Medina County is fortunate to have a natural abundance of high quality limestone that is an essential building block of our growing state.  Local residents will benefit from the extraction of this natural resource through well-paying jobs, increased tax revenues and opportunities for economic development.  The quarry will employ more than 50 people with average salaries of $40,000 per year plus benefits.  These stable jobs will support local families and businesses for many years to come.  We estimate that Martin Marietta will become one of the top taxpayers in the county by contributing more than $1 million per year in local taxes. Limestone quarries have existed throughout this region for more than 100 years with no known impact on the environment.  In fact, Medina County has a long and fruitful history with rock quarries that can be traced to the county’s origin.  Quarries are highly regulated industries, and Martin Marietta has won numerous awards for safety and environmental excellence. We invite you to read more about this exciting project on the following pages of this site.  If you’d like to inquire about a job, if your questions are not fully answered, or if you’d simply like to share your thoughts with us, please visit our contact us page.  We look forward to meeting and working with our new neighbors.