A divided Smithfield Town Council has given the approval to a company to operate a concrete plant just off Highway 70 Business West.
In a 4-to-2 vote, Thomas Concrete of the Carolinas, Inc. won approval for a new plant on a 6 acre vacant tract of land Citation Lane near the intersection of Swift Creek Road. The town board also approved rezoning the site to heavy industrial. The property is within the Smithfield Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ).
Several people expressed concerns about the plant operation including concerns over noise, dust, the hours of operation, lighting and traffic.
Former Johnston County Commissioner Keith Branch who lives nearby said he was opposed to the plant because of the amount of additional truck traffic it would create. Branch said the intersection of Highway 70 Business West and Swift Creek Road is dangerous and the scene of numerous accidents in recent years.
“As you all know from my previous involvement in the county as a business owner and elected official I am certainly pro-growth and supportive of economic opportunities,” Branch told town board members during the public hearing. “However, with this growth and opportunities the best interest of our citizens has to be taken into consideration. Over the years I have seen numerous accidents, and filed claims for clients that had accidents, at this intersection. Adding large, slow moving, loaded concrete trucks that are difficult to see around to the mix is a recipe for more accidents.”
According to the NC Department of Transportation, 12,000 vehicles travel on Highway 70 Business West daily and 9,100 cross through the intersection on Swift Creek Road. Since 2012, 29 accidents have occured at the intersection resulting in 14 injuries. 22 of the 29 crashes have occurred in the last 2 years.
The Smithfield site will be the seventh location for Thomas Concrete in the Raleigh market. The company plans to begin operations with four concrete trucks each averaging 4 trips per day. The plant can expand to handle 8 trucks, each making an average of 4 trips per day.
Councilman Travis Scott and Roger Wood voted against the plant, but it was approved in a 4-to-2 vote.
