HUMBLE, Texas — Homeowners in Humble are frustrated after they say long lines of big rigs started showing up this week, clogging up their streets near what appears to be a new Amazon warehouse.
Some said the big rigs are presenting a safety concern as they are sometimes blocking drivers and streets. Their concern also lies with what this means for first responders to get through the neighborhood.
If you sit at the corner of Rankin Road and Kingfisher Drive in Humble for five minutes, you’ll see the backup and 18-wheelers arriving at what appears to be a warehouse.
Luz Castillo said she’s fed up.
“They’re going into the neighborhoods the wrong way. We have encountered them,” Castillo said.
She’s not the only one who has encountered the trucks.
“It’s almost like we can’t get out of the neighborhood,” Rochelle Pierson said.
The Timberwood neighborhood sits right next to where the trucks arrive. Ring doorbell footage shows at least one Amazon 18-wheeler driving through the neighborhood.
“It’s overnight. It was overnight that it came,” Steven Berkel said.
Everyone KHOU 11 News spoke with Wednesday said the warehouse has been built for about a year but the trucks started showing up this week.
“A lot of individuals woke up to just mass chaos, there’s nothing but just continuous traffic,” Tekera Stanford-Odom said.
Humble police are in the area and are sometimes seen speaking with the drivers.
“[The trucks are] just stuck there waiting,” Danisa Prada said.
This matter is especially concerning to the families whose children attend school right up the street.
“The next light is where the school is and all of our kids walk up the street and these big trucks can barely turn on those little roads,” Prada said.
Some people we spoke with said they’ve asked for answers but feel as though they are getting nowhere.
“With the trucks it disrupts everything,” Neftali Castillo said.
Amazon spokesperson Sam Stephenson sent KHOU 11 News the following statement:
“We apologize for the inconvenience this issue has caused in Humble and we’re working quickly to rectify it. We’ll continue coordinating with local officials as we work towards a solution.”
Humble City Manager Jason Stuebe sent KHOU 11 News the following statement:
In short, our understanding was that there was logistical mismanagement in Amazon’s communication to truckers regarding the pick-up/drop-off of carts that are repaired/scrapped by an Amazon contractor that has very recently begun operations at a location on Rankin Road. This mistake resulted in the massing of hundreds of semi-trucks and trailers to the facility, which was way more than what they could reasonably handle.
Since becoming first aware of the situation early yesterday morning, multiple city departments have been working with the contractor and Amazon to clear the situation. We now have PD units in place assisting with traffic direction and control. As of this afternoon, we are hopeful that the back log of deliveries will be cleared out by Saturday. We will continue to place traffic units on scene to ensure that traffic is not impeded and the impact to residents in the Timberwood Subdivision is mitigated as best it can.
We were caught just as off guard as our residents and have expressed our displeasure with the contractor, Amazon and the developer that owns the property.