Dear Editor North Channel Star:
I would like to inform you of a safety and health concern that our entire neighborhood is fighting about with the City of Houston. They have almost completed the construction of a Stripe truck stop in our neighborhood. We as a neighborhood were not consulted or informed of this business until after construction had started. We have over 500 family homes in our neighborhood. I have contacted every one of them and nobody approves of this truck stop. There are many concerns including but not limited to increase in crime rate, increase in drug trafficking, prostitution, air pollution, noise pollution, flooding and mostly traffic safety.
According to the Air Alliance Houston, our area has an increased cancer risk due to particulates from trucks and ships. Having a truck stop within 30 feet of where children play is no help. When it rains the people near the truck stop have water within a few inches of flooding their homes. The increased cemented area will increase this threat. Trucks will be parked within 20 feet of back yards with their motors running all night. This cannot be helpful to these working people trying to get a good night’s sleep, I do not believe that any air, noise pollution or flooding study was performed before the city approved this construction.
The most hazardous problem is going to be with traffic safety. Dorwayne is the only Houston entrance and exit for our neighborhood. It is the only entrance for residents, visitors, school buses, ambulances and fire trucks. Federal road has become the main entrance to GreensPort and a area already over congested with truck traffic. The traffic light at Federal and Dorwayne is set for truck traffic. There is only time for a few cars to exit onto Federal when the light turns green. When there is an 18 wheel truck trying to exit it is the only vehicle able to make it on green. During the school year cars are backed up for 2 blocks trying to exit onto Federal. Often when exiting vehicles have a green light they still cannot exit due to 18 wheel trucks blocking the intersection and in a hurry to get to Greensport. Exiting vehicles have to be very careful exiting because it is frequent that 18 wheel trucks run the red light. One elderly lady told me that it took 25 minutes for her and her daughter to get onto Federal Road while trying to make a doctor’s appointment.
Stripe designed their truck stop to use the residential street Dorwayne as their main truck entrance instead of Federal Road which is a commercial route. The Mayor of Houston places the blame for this on City Engineer Richard Smith (832-394-9137). I have contacted Mr. Smith multiple time and left a call back number. He refuses to call me back and discuss the situation. She also told me that the Assistant City Safety director would look into the problem. I asked him to contact me before filing his report but he also failed to contact me.
It is getting apparent that the City of Houston has made a blunder in allowing a truck stop to be built in this neighborhood. Everyone is passing the buck and no one wants to take the responsibility for this project. They also will not do anything to correct the problem for fear of legal repercussions from Stripe.
Sincerely,
Natahel
AARP President Chapter 1160 Former USAF pilot, Captain and Vietnam Veteran
Aerospace Engineer and Texas A&M graduate
32 degree and Scottish Rite Mason
Former GPHS Band Booster President
Former Jacinto City Little League Vice-President
What did Congressman Green have to say about this? It’s a real problem and should be under federal jurisdiction because of EPA regulations!