MITCHELL, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) – Texas-based Lehigh Hanson Inc. says the start of the $600 million expansion of its Lehigh Cement Co. plant in Mitchell in Lawrence County will be delayed. The company says construction could be delayed by up to one year due to uncertainties resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a release, the Mitchell plant will continue to finalize the engineering and delivery of equipment but will limit the amount of site work during the remainder of 2020 and will move it into early 2021. Postponing construction has shifted the startup target date, from September 2022 to the third quarter of 2023.
As previously reported, Lehigh broke ground for the new plant in October 2019. Since then, activity has mainly been focused on site preparation in advance of structural assembly.
“A construction project of this magnitude has numerous components, such as supply chain certainty, material deliveries and, importantly, worker availability. These are tied to precise construction scheduling timelines, all of which have been negatively impacted,” said Jerry Miller, Mitchell plant manager.
MITCHELL, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — Officials will Tuesday break ground on a $600 million project in Lawrence County. Texas-based Lehigh Hanson Inc. is set to begin work on the expansion and modernization of the Lehigh Cement Co. plant in Mitchell, which is expected to create 50 jobs.
Plans for the four-year project were first announced in July 2018. The company says the investment represents the largest expansion and modernization project it has undertaken in North America and is expected to bring “significant economic development” to southern Indiana.
Lehigh Hanson says, in addition to the new jobs, it will retain 120 workers as a result of the expansion. The Mitchell facility is one of 19 cement plants under the Lehigh Hanson umbrella, according to the company’s website.
Congressman Trey Hollingsworth (R-09) will be on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony, along with Lehigh Hanson North Region President Dennis Dolan, Mitchell Mayor J.D. England, and Indiana Economic Development Corp. Chief Operating Officer Chris Cotterill, among others.
BEDFORD, Ind. (WISH) — The Lawrence County Health Department issued a public notice Thursday morning that warned the public that an employee of the Papa John’s restaurant in Mitchell was working while diagnosed with hepatitis on June 12 and Friday.
The health department advised that the risk of the employee transmitting the disease is extremely low, but Papa John’s customers who came into contact with the delivery driver were being offered free hepatitis A testing, vaccines or both paid for by Papa Johns.
The restaurant was working with the health department to prevent any new cases from arising as a result of this incident.
Papa John’s patrons who came into contact with the delivery driver are also asked to:
- Monitor their health for symptoms, including and infection up to 50 days after exposure. Symptoms include loss of appetite, nausea, tiredness, fever, stomach pain, brown colored urine, and light colored stools. Yellowing of the skin or eyes may also appear.
- Wash their hands with soap and warm water often, especially after using the bathroom and before preparing food.
- Stay at home and contact their healthcare provider immediately if symptoms develop.
The health department is also offering hepatitis A vaccines to county residents on Thursday, Monday and Tuesday. For information, call 812-275-3234.