The 502-acre Project Steel data center developers presented Yorkville city officials a traffic impact study running through 2044.

The developer’s plans involve installing two new roundabouts and realigning Beecher Road to connect with Corneils Road.

While the report by the Prologis development group found the data center campus would “generate limited traffic” due to the small number of employees, it did not provide a traffic impact study during construction. The campus is expected to have 18 two-story data warehouses on site.

The vast majority of traffic will be incurred during the building period as the project is constructed in three phases over 20 years, with six data center buildings in each phase.

Developers have said the construction could start within two years by the earliest, with the first warehouse taking up to 18 months to build. Some residents have expressed concerns of so many construction trucks in the area for such a prolonged period of time.

The Yorkville city engineer is requesting a construction plan phase traffic report, including the management of traffic during permits. The city engineer is also requesting an updated plan because the county is planning on reconstructing Galena Road, which will have a lower speed limit and a center turn lane.

“We are requiring continuous noise monitoring during construction, so from the time the construction starts to when the building is open,” City Administrator Bart Olson said during the Oct. 14 city council meeting.

Greg Jones, a lawyer representing Prologis, said the plans to install roundabouts are designed to create greater traffic efficiency.

The two roundabouts would be located at the intersection of Corneils Road and the realigned Beecher Road on the eastern flank of the site. A second roundabout would be placed at the southern part of Beecher Road as it currently exists.

“These will provide both a traffic calming measure, as you’re now required to navigate around the traffic circle, as well as help traffic flow,” Jones said during the meeting. “These are generally viewed as a more efficient way to do it, and Prologis is willing to make those investments here.”

The city and the developers have previously agreed that all roadway improvements must be paid in-full by the developers.

Citing Yorkville’s agriculture sector, Mayor John Purcell requested the developers make sure the roundabouts are wide enough to accommodate the size of farm tractors and vehicles.

Once completed, the data center campus will total 6.8 million square feet of warehouse space, with three on-site electrical substations.

The city is requiring all data centers to have a 500-foot minimum setback from the nearest residential or commercial structure. The developers have also agreed to a 100-foot landscape buffer and to keep all buildings, including the on-roof mechanical equipment, below 70 feet in height.

While the site is mostly surrounded by rural properties, one of the closer larger residential areas is the Kylyn’s Ridge subdivision. Several residents have urged the city to keep data centers further from residential areas.