Asphalt plant proposed in Racine County

Milwaukee-based Northwest Asphalt Products Inc. plans to build a $3.5 million asphalt plant at 3205 W. Three Mile Road in the Town of Raymond in Racine County. The property is located southwest of I-94 and Three Mile Road.
The project was recently approved by the Raymond Town Board, despite the opposition by several residents. The plant still needs to be approved by Racine County and the Village of Caledonia.
Northwest Asphalt Products plans to purchase an 80-acre property for the plant from the owner of C.J. Flowers for $1.5 million, according to Raymond Town Board chairman Gary Kastenson. About 6 acres of the property will be used for the asphalt plant. C.J. Flowers plans to cease its operations in 3 years.
The asphalt plant will produce about 125 to 350 tons of asphalt per hour, according to Kastenson. The plant will operate from April to December.
Several residents in the town raised objections to the asphalt plant proposal. But Kastenson said he supports it because the company agreed to make improvements to Three Mile Road near the plant, the company plans to burn natural gas at the plant and the plant will provide an economic boost to the community.
“It will help our tax base tremendously,” Kastenson said.
The company has not yet applied for a permit from the state Department of Natural Resources for the plant. However, its plans to use natural gas there could be an advantage for the application.
“The fact that they plan to burn natural gas, that is a cleaner fuel than what is normally used in asphalt plants,” said Dan Schramm, air management supervisor of southeastern Wisconsin for the DNR. “Most of the (asphalt) plants use oil.”
Northwest Asphalt Products main plant is located at 11710 W. Hampton Ave., Milwaukee. Its sister company, Northwest Standard, has a plant at N52 W23615 Lisbon Ave., near Sussex. Both facilities include large storage silos.