This is part three of nine in the Paving Paradise series. To read the full article click here.

The impacts of distribution centers on Perryman Peninsula are immediately evident, from trash to traffic. Perryman residents complain of insufficient infrastructure to support heavy tractor trailers, like proper turnarounds and sleeping facilities, leading to damaged roads and rampant litter. The two-lane Perryman Road, the only major access to and from the peninsula, sees over 2,000 trucks and nearly 3,000 cars per day, according to Maryland Department of Transportation traffic data collected on the route 715 roundabout to Perryman Road. Long lines of trucks queue up along the narrow dirt shoulder, waiting to drop off and pick up loads. On the 3P Coalition’s Facebook page, residents catalog dozens of photos showing tractor trailers cutting corners through neighborhood yards, often obliterating signage and residents’ mailboxes in the process. Residents — and there are only 2,397 of them — note waiting nearly 30 minutes to leave the peninsula during the 3 p.m. shift change, when warehouse workers leave and arrive on the peninsula en masse.

Traffic issues impact the ability for fire, police, and emergency medical services to reach the peninsula. The City of Aberdeen Fire Department Chief was quoted by resident Chip Reilly as saying, “Emergency response times in Perryman have risen to 13 minutes during normal traffic conditions,” posing significant risk in the event of a traffic accident or warehouse fire, like the Walmart fire in Plainfield, Indiana, in March 2022. The Fire Chief also said that between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., when the shift change coincides with rush hour, the roundabout on Philadelphia Road “routinely had trucks backed up, so response times will be longer.” The worsening traffic conditions are corroborated by locals. During a protest against the development, a resident was asked to describe the effect of distribution centers on the community; his response was, “One word: dangerous.” He then relayed that an elderly resident is afraid to leave her driveway, fearing an accident from the constant traffic. Residents and regulatory agencies are worried additional warehouses will exacerbate the issue. The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) and Harford County found glaring deficiencies in the traffic study submitted by the Mitchell project developers, including “significantly low” traffic volume estimates and “insufficient measures” to ensure truck traffic stayed off Perryman Road. State and County officials left 37 comments in the report, calling for an entirely new study and traffic counts. Citing these shortcomings, Paul Fallace, head of 3P, said, “It is inappropriate for the zoning and inappropriate for the residents with one way in and one way off the Peninsula.” Calls to increase the access and infrastructure in Perryman have been made for nearly 20 years to help alleviate congestion though little has improved.

The Harford County Government is investing in some road improvement projects, but it has yet to demonstrate reduced impact caused by high truck volume. A proposed connection from Maryland Route 715 to the dead-end Woodley Road on the northern end of the peninsula has been stalled ever since APG forbade public access to the adjacent electrical substation it uses to power the grounds, citing national security concerns. Although Harford County has planned improvements to Spesutia Road, a car-only access point from the north of Perryman, the capacity for truck traffic onto and out of the peninsula has not increased. Despite promises from state and local politicians and pleas from residents and emergency responders to build the short connection from Woodley Road to Route 715 before permitting new development, distribution centers continue to be built.

To see the next section in the Paving Paradise series, Something in the Air click here.