Meta is building the world’s largest data center in rural Louisiana, but its construction has led to dangerous road conditions in the area, with dozens of crashes reported on a small, two-lane road.
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This program is supported by a network of local stations across the country. NPR also supports regional newsrooms, like the Gulf States Newsroom, which we will hear next. They are reporting on Meta, which is building the world’s largest artificial intelligence data center. Meta released a graphic showing that if this building was in New York, it would cover much of Manhattan. The building is not in Manhattan but in Louisiana, where construction has caused traffic and a dangerous road, according to an investigation by Drew Hawkins of the Gulf States Newsroom.
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DREW HAWKINS, BYLINE: Since construction started in December, thousands of dump trucks and 18-wheelers roll through the town of Holly Ridge every day.
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HAWKINS: Fourth-grader Penelope Hull says the truck noise on the busy roads outside Holly Ridge Elementary shakes the classroom.
PENELOPE HULL: You can’t pay attention, and you get too like, what is that? And you lose what the teacher was telling you to do.
HAWKINS: As of September, crashes are up more than 600% on the roads surrounding Meta’s new data center – at least 64 crashes this year compared to just nine last year, according to police records. School officials shut down the playground next to the road this year because it’s not safe.
PENELOPE: That’s why they’re saying we shouldn’t go out there and all that ’cause there’s too many wrecks and Meta trucks, and they could crash. I really love that playground.
HAWKINS: In one crash, two dump trucks collided near the school. The driver who caused it had an expired Mexican license, and he had to be airlifted from a field behind the school to a hospital on a school day. Over a dozen people who live near the construction site describe truck drivers heading to and from the Meta site as dangerous and reckless. Robin Williams says she’s afraid to leave her own driveway.
ROBIN WILLIAMS: I’ve almost got in a wreck leaving out of my road, down by the schoolhouse. They think they run the roads.
HAWKINS: Her husband Joe agrees.
JOE WILLIAMS: When you get in that car and get ready to leave, you better pray that you make it to your destination.
HAWKINS: Police reports back up what residents say. In some crashes, truck drivers couldn’t see or hear smaller vehicles before colliding into them. At least two drivers fell asleep at the wheel, and one left his wrecked vehicle at the scene so he wouldn’t miss a morning meeting at Meta. In another crash, the driver didn’t even have a license. Brian Wolshon studies highway safety at Louisiana State University. He says these crashes are the fault of the drivers and Meta.
BRIAN WOLSHON: Just because you come rolling in – you’re Meta and you’re this trillion-dollar company, and you roll into, you know, West Yahoo (ph), Louisiana. I think it’s incumbent of them to be a good steward of the public trust.
HAWKINS: Louisiana’s Department of Transportation and Development said in a statement Meta hasn’t violated its permits. But those permits require minimizing impacts and keeping people safe. Meta says it sets strict guidelines about speed and safety but did not address specific crashes. The governor’s office and Richland Parish sheriff did not respond to questions for this story, but they’ve heard complaints from residents. In June, Governor Jeff Landry even visited Holly Ridge. Speaking to local TV station KNOE, he acknowledged the traffic concerns and promised control measures.
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JEFF LANDRY: Because guess what? That project is transformational for this area, but like all good things, it comes with good problems.
HAWKINS: Meta says construction will last at least another five years. Residents say they want safer roads, and they want the trucks working on the Meta site to obey traffic laws and face consequences for breaking them.
For NPR News, I’m Drew Hawkins in Holly Ridge, Louisiana.
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