GLENWOOD, Iowa (KMTV) — Mills County residents are raising safety concerns about dramatically increased heavy truck traffic on 195th Street due to construction on the Google data center project.
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There have always been grain trucks on this county road that runs parallel to I-29, but a few weeks ago, neighbors told KMTV the number of trucks increased dramatically.
Allen Katz, who lives near the construction site, is worried about safety.
"There's homes with children that are right on the road here," he said.
Not only is the traffic a concern, so is visibility. These big trucks are hauling dirt from an old quarry site in the Loess Hills, roughly five miles north, for construction at the Google data center.
"It really is amazing the increased traffic that has occurred since this has started," Katz said.
Mills County Engineer Jacob Ferro says the county is working on improving the situation, including a meeting with JE Dunn, the lead construction company, about a traffic study of the area.
"Propose some safety measures that we can implement, so hopefully some goodness will come out of that," Ferro said.
Katz says he drives on this road daily and most drivers are courteous.
"But there is 5% that make the biggest impact on how dangerous it can be on the roads, following too closely, higher speeds than is allowed on the roads," he said.
Ferro says the county department heads are working together with contractors and Google to address neighbors' concerns. He also mentioned the county is worried about damage to its road that wasn't built for this level of traffic.
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