For better or worse we’re now in the business of moving freight in Lower Macungie Twp. Much of our former agriculture land (which was at one time very high ROI, low impact and great for property values) is now or about to become warehouses. (very low ROI and extremely high impact terrible neighbors)

Moving freight is now a huge part of our local and regional economy. Because of that, local governments have to address the issue.

How do we achieve balance between the needs to move freight and safety/quality of life?

In Upper Macungie distribution warehouses probably always made sense due to a location directly adjacent to I-78 with direct highway access to all points N, S, E & W. In Upper Macungie they have the ability to separate the trucks from residential portion of the township. Here in Lower Macungie we are much further from interchanges. Therefore, trucks coming in and out of the township to and from the warehouses are frequently ending up on local residential roads. Day and night trucks rumble through Macungie and Alburtis intermingling with pedestrians and residential neighborhoods. In Lower Macungie we see them on local roads such as East Texas Rd, Spring Creek Rd, Sauerkraut Ln, Willow Ln ect.

In the next 10 years the amount of warehouses will double. The biggest of these mega warehouses are forecasted to generate up to 40 trucks an hour 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. The problem will only get worse.

We need answers. Moving forward how do we balance the needs of a safe, livable community with the need to efficiently move freight? I’m not sure there is a blueprint. Are there any other examples of areas that have gone this far overboard with distribution warehouses? 

One of the answers I’ve heard has been rail. The problem is today, 100% of distribution warehouse freight in Lower Macungie is moved by truck. So far no usage of rail sidings have materialized. This remains disappointing since this was part of the rationale for warehouses in Lower Mac. Specifically I heard this as reasoning for the Jaindl rezoning.

For freight coming in and out of the township major freight corridors are needed to expedite the safe movement of goods. Next we must do whatever is necessary to concentrate the freight traffic on the appropriate roads. Rt. 100 heading towards I-78 and the (under designed) bypass with it’s lack of ramps and too low speed limit are now freight corridors. We must keep trucks on these roads while strongly discouraging or even prohibiting them from local roads where safety and quality of life is compromised.

It boils down to achieving a balance that respects the need for freight movement, while maintaining safety, quality of life and comfort for our residents. This is a question I have not heard any good answers to. But we have to keep looking until we find them. Throwing our hands up in the air is unacceptable. Who do we look to for answers? Our warehouses go against county planning. I’ve heard more then once the notion of “Lower Macungie dug it’s own hole” by going against regional planning.

The answer is certainly not endless road widening and “improvements”. For years now that strategy has been proven ineffective over and over again. Yet it remains the only one I’m hearing. I am not saying it’s not a part of the solution but it can’t be relied on solely. We have got to think outside the box.