'Why am I being penalized?': Residents voice AI data center traffic concerns

________________________ What used to be a quiet drive through the Big Country is now becoming a daily frustration for some residents living near the massive AI center projects. “I moved out to the country to get away from traffic," said Rosalie Gray, a Hamby resident. "Why am I being penalized? I live in the country. Why do I have traffic? Be courteous to each other. We don't have that anymore because nobody cares.” For years, some people who live in the Big Country said they moved here for the peace and quiet. However, now, the sound of heavy construction traffic has become part of daily life. “The traffic here starts at about 4:15 a.m. in the morning," said Deborah Dos Santos, an Abilene resident. "It starts loud noise, traffic trucks, and stuff going up and down, and then kind of quiet during the day. You still get those big trucks coming up, and then in late afternoon, it starts up again. It's until like seven, eight at night.” RELATED | Drone video shows sprawling data center construction underway in Callahan County “You can't leave Emdale Road at 5 o'clock," Gray said. "Otherwise, you're going to wait almost an hour to to go wherever you want to go. That's not right.” Dos Santos said she’s even had close calls driving near the facility. “Late afternoon, they don't give way when they're coming off shift," Dos Santos said. "They just keep pulling out and pulling out. Of course, being the main road, you think that we have the right away, but they don't slow down or give way to traffic. They just keep pulling out. If you're not weary and slow down...you could get hit.” Other residents said speeding has also become a major issue on county roads near the sites. “That's dangerous," Gray said. "It's dangerous. The school used to be a drop off. Now, you have to be wary of the drop off. If there's an accident right there, they're going to go speeding by the school. When's it safe? It's not safe for anybody.” RELATED | Data Center Impacts: KTXS continuing coverage With school buses and families using those same roads, many neighbors mentioned they’re worried about what could happen next. “The school busses had to change their routes because they were not safe to let the kids get on and off," Gray said. "Come on now, our kids? I'm old. My kids are grown. I don't have to worry about them, but we just recently had a death right there on that corner, and I got to watch it from here. All the traffic was diverted on my road...The residents here are tired and it's just begun.” KTXS asked, “What is DPS doing to monitor traffic around these growing construction zones?” “We've had many operations focusing on these to make sure that the trucks on the roadways are safe and are operating as safely as possible," said Sgt. Marc Couch with the Texas Department of Public Safety. For many who call this area home, they said the biggest change is losing the quiet country lifestyle they moved here for. “If I wanted town noise and town headaches, I would have stayed in town, but I bought the acreage," Gray said. "I bought the house. I bought it out in the country, so why am I getting penalized? That's the issue.” Traffic is just one concern that residents have who live near the AI facilities, but KTXS will bring you continuing coverage every week on the data centers. If you have a story you’d like to bring to our attention, email us at news@ktxs.com. DETAILS: https://ktxs.com/news/local/why-am-i-being-penalized-residents-voice-ai-data-center-traffic-concerns Follow us on social media: KTXS News on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KTXSTelevision KTXS News on X https://x.com/KTXS_News KTXS News on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ktxsnews/?hl=en For more information, visit https://ktxs.com/ Have a news tip? Send it to us at news@ktxs.com #infrastructure #traffic #datacenter