Illustration by Tabi Walters
Opponents of the Oracle data center in Saline Township had a laundry list of objections—electricity rate hikes, water consumption, the spoiling of the landscape. But for the moment, the biggest concern is truck traffic.
Since December, tractor-trailers have been hauling dirt along US-12—and in recent weeks there have been hundreds of trips in and out of the site per day.
“It’s amazing to watch them,” says Bill Lockwood, who lives near Platt and Michigan Ave. in Pittsfield Twp. “You literally can’t drive from Michigan Ave. and Platt without driving by two or three of them going in both directions.”
“They drive pretty aggressively. It’s already a pretty fast road,” says Kathryn Elizabeth Haushalter, who lives near the site and is suing developers Oracle and Related Digital. “I have called MDOT to complain that the truck traffic is so heavy. They sling so much mud onto the road that if you drive at night, you can’t always see the white and yellow lines. And when you have oncoming traffic, you can’t see your lane.”
Natalie Ravitz, executive VP of corporate communications for Related Companies, says they’re taking safety concerns seriously. “When the issue was brought to our attention, we briefly paused work, implemented enhanced wheel-washing procedures for trucks leaving the site, and added an additional street-sweeping vehicle—there are now two,” she says.
She acknowledges that they’ve had a handful of reports of driver violations, adding, “Anyone found in violation of those rules would be terminated.” Ravitz also points out that they’re mandating truck subcontractors stick to specific routes that avoid side streets, and paying for extra state police patrols to ensure compliance.
“The Brighton Post [of the Michigan State Police] has been contracted by Walbridge Construction to conduct traffic patrols in the construction area, including along US-12,” emails Michigan State Police lieutenant Rene Gonzalez. “We have similar agreements with a number of agencies, including MDOT, DTE, and Consumers Energy. … These agreements do not take away from troopers who are working regular patrol and responding to calls for service.” He adds that the Brighton Post hasn’t received complaints about mud on the road or unsafe driving in the construction area.
Saline Township Zoning Administrator Tom Hammond says the traffic should abate “hopefully by the end of April.” In the meantime, Ravitz urges patience.
“We would also ask residents to keep in mind that many of these truck drivers and workers are members of the greater Saline area community,” she says. “These drivers are individuals doing honest work, trying to support their families, and get home safely, just like everyone else.”
Related: Powering GenAI (Feb. 2025)
Don’t Call it a Data Center (Oct. 2025)