There are a number of pits in Coldbrook. In 2014 a government document states that the purpose of the proposed undertaking is to expand the existing 3.9-hectare sand pit to a maximum of 15.7 hectares (including the existing pit) of land, with an expected operational life of 20 years. The pit will produce 20,000 tonnes/year and up to an additional 100,000 tonnes/year for new markets. The sand production will be used primarily in local construction industry.
The project is located on the south side of Highway 101, between South Bishop Road and Lovett Road in Kings County, NS. The site is bound by the Harvest Highway (Highway 101) to the north, commercial/resource lands to the west and south, and undeveloped land to the east (including upland forest, wetland and agricultural pasture). Residential dwellings are present along Lovett Road (farther to the east) and the nearest residential dwelling is located approximately 180m from the property boundary. The site is separated from the residential area by the Cornwallis River, wetland and a forested buffer; the pit is not visible from properties on Lovett Road.
Currently, approximately 15 trucks per week leave the site to the northeast via the private Ells Road and enter the public Lovett Road. Under the expansion plan, the existing traffic load will
continue to leave the site northeastward via Ells Road to Lovett Road. The number of trucks leaving the site at the Lovett Road entrance is not anticipated to increase from current volumes
since this aspect of the project is extending the existing operation life of the site. Currently, Ells Road (from Lovett Road) and the site are also used for thoroughfare by neighboring operations that transport sand from the Lafarge operation on the east side of Lovett Road to the Shaw and Keddy operations south and west of the project site. This private thoroughfare allows truck traffic on Lovett Road, Park Street and South Bishop Road to be minimized. Each winter for a five- to six-week period, there are approximately 120 truck trips per day that transport sand from the Lafarge operation through the project site. Under the expansion plan, any increased sand extraction to satisfy new customer demand will be trucked via internal roadways to neighbouring properties to the south and west for processing and transport to market. Increased extraction at the project site is not expected to increase traffic loading on public roads, since it will coincide with, decreased sand extraction and decreased associated thoroughfare from nearby sites.