Braintree Wants $1 Million From Amazon For Traffic Improvements

BRAINTREE, MA — $1 million worth of traffic improvements is one of the conditions that the planning board is willing to impose on a special permit for an Amazon distribution center at 175-185 Campanelli Dr.

The planning board took up the proposal again during their meeting Tuesday night. Several residents at the meeting continued to express concern over the traffic that could be caused by the facility, according to the Patriot Ledger.

Amazon plans on leasing square feet of the space that Bradlees, Stop and Shop, and United Liquors all occupied at one point. At last month's meeting, company representatives told the board that about 85 employees arrive for work between 6-8 a.m. From 8 a.m. and until 11 a.m., 56 delivery service providers will arrive every 30 minutes, park their cars, jump in delivery service vans, and drive into the building for their vans to be loaded with packages. Inside, the vans will be in four lines and released line by line to make deliveries. The vans will operate within 45 minutes of Braintree, according to Amazon officials.

After 11 a.m., flex drivers, which were described as Uber-like workers, will drive their personal vehicles through the fulfillment center to pick up packages to deliver.

About 20 tractor-trailer trucks, at a rate of roughly four an hour, would drop off packages to be delivered the next day between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.

The landlord of the property will be required to pay for a police detail at the intersection of Campanelli Drive and Granite Street for 15 hours a week and a traffic light if it is determined that is needed.

The company said at the time that they will take measures to make sure drivers do not use neighborhood roads.

The board will take up the special permit again during a special July 24 meeting.

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