As warehousing grows, rural Tracy community sees an unintended consequence: truck traffic

Six years before Prologis built its sweeping warehouse project off of Hansen Road in Tracy, a study found the project's impact on traffic would be minimal: "few if any trips would use the section of Hansen Road north of I-205."

But residents of the two-lane rural road, whose southern half bisects the project, say that couldn't be further from the truth.

One resident counted more than 100 cars in a day. Another placed boulders in her front yard to shield her property. And another couple built a garage as a sound barrier.

Multiple residents said semi-trailer trucks coming to and from the warehouses traverse Hansen Road day and night, shaking homes as they clatter over speed bumps. They have run down cypress trees and burst through traffic barriers. Kids can no longer walk to a nearby school.

High-tonnage trucks are illegal on Hansen, but Peter Moyer said he has counted as many as 125 in a day. "It'll actually shake you and rattle you out of your bed."

Trailer trucks are only part of the problem. Hansen also attracts commuters rushing to and from work, many wearing the orange vests of nearby warehouse workers.

The traffic may be a manifestation of the explosion of warehousing in Tracy and across San Joaquin County.

More: SJ County has second highest concentration of transportation, warehouse jobs

In 2019, the county had the second-highest concentration of transportation and warehousing jobs out of all metropolitan areas in the U.S. Amazon alone has bought more than 10 million square feet of property in the county in the past eight years.

It's unclear why so many trailer trucks have flocked to Hansen Road. It could be the access to nearby interstates 205 and 580: with fewer traffic signals than Mountain House Parkway, Hansen Road could be a time-saver for truckers trying to meet tight schedules.

County public works officials have tried numerous measures to keep trailer trucks off the road: warning signs, thousand-pound orange barriers and even asking Google Maps to redirect drivers. Prologis stationed two security guards near the warehouses to stop trucks from entering Hansen Road.

But the trucks kept coming. Closing the road to southbound drivers reduced traffic volume, but it has increased again in recent months, residents said.

They said the constant noise impacts the quality of life at home.

The booms of trucks crossing speed bumps keeps Moyer, who is a combat veteran, up at night.

"I spent my year in Vietnam. I know what it's like when something rattles and shakes," he said. "It sounds like a gun or a cannon going off. It sounds like a bomb."

Vannie and Raymond Dart built a garage between their home and the road to muffle the noise. Cheryl Valdez placed boulders outside her home as a shield after finding the remains of nearby mailboxes in her yard.

"They were obliterated. They were on my front lawn ... the parts were all over, scattered everywhere."

Residents stressed that they do not oppose the businesses that occupy Prologis Park, which include Amazon, UPS and FedEx. Moyer said he appreciated the jobs the project has created.

There are several ways public works officials could deter trucks from Hansen. One would be to make the southbound closure permanent. Another would be to use barriers to block all but regular-sized cars from entering.

More than 80% of residents want to close Hansen entirely by erecting metal gates accessible only by emergency vehicles, a poll by a community group found. But that could raise legal risks for the county, San Joaquin County Public Works Director Kris Balaji said.

On Monday, Public Works staff and community members will meet at Mountain House Town Hall to discuss a solution acceptable to all.

"The road that we live (on), that's in front of our house, doesn't just belong to us," Balaji said.

Record reporter Aaron Leathley covers business, housing, and land use. She can be reached at aleathley@recordnet.com or on Twitter @LeathleyAaron. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: As warehousing grows, a Tracy community lives with more truck traffic