Anyone who’s been in a car heading in or out of the area over the last few years has seen them.

They’re bigger than they once were, closer together than they used to be and lately, there are a lot more of them.

They’ve popped up on one-time coal lands, farm lands and lately, even more pristine forest sites.

Behemoth warehouses.

They’re being built along the area’s major highways from Harrisburg to Hazleton and Milford to Milton, if not farther.

These expanses of concrete covered truck bays are relatively new to the region. Proponents say they fill the needs of an economy driven by online sales and speedy delivery of any purchases.

Our region’s access to the East Coast’s major population centers makes it an increasingly attractive piece in the puzzle of modern day logistics.

But these massive structures aren’t that attractive. And as much as I’m a fan of next-day delivery, I wonder if somehow, there was another way to make it happen.

Already, the added trucks heading to or from the warehouses is snarling traffic. Try getting through Tamaqua on Route 309, or through the five-points at Hometown in Rush Township without a major wait.

On at least two recent occasions, I’ve witnessed these big rigs bring southbound traffic to a halt as they headed northbound — the wrong way — on one-way Railroad Street in Tamaqua.

Speaking of southbound travel, I’ve often sat in traffic in Rush Township waiting for vehicles to pass through the intersection from as far away as the light at the Walmart shopping center.

Even worse, consider traveling Route 93 down Broad Mountain to where it meets Route 209 in Nesquehoning.

Just last week, a tractor-trailer lost its brakes, traveling at a high rate of speed down the mountain, missing the emergency runoff and rolling through the “T” intersection before coming to rest in a driveway, collapsing the trailer and severely damaging the tractor. Luckily, the driver escaped injury.

That accident was the latest that was wholly preventable as the big rigs are essentially banned from heading down the steep grade.

At the top of the mountain, rigs over 21,000 pounds are required to roll to a stop and proceed down the mountain in a reduced gear. Unfortunately, many truck operators choose to keep going.

Signs several miles from the crest of the ridge warn rig drivers to stay off the mountain altogether.

If you’re up in the Hazleton area, check out the signage at the intersection of Route 93 — East Broad Street — and Route 424 — the Arthur Gardner Parkway.

It was placed there years ago after a series of serious crashes, including one that involved a rig hauling several brand-new vehicles, happened over three days.

Traffic aside, the proliferation of warehousing will ultimately change the way communities in our area deal with other aspects of everyday life.

As the practice grows, the potential exists for increased noise and pollution, especially in places that struggle with other environmental issues.

Answers for dealing with those things will be needed to mitigate those concerns.

In some places, property values could be affected, though controlled placement of these huge buildings may limit the slide.

That’s happening in a sense these days in Kidder Township, where some projects are underway and at least one was already completed.

Supervisors there have crafted a curative amendment. Though the new plan doesn’t change the current projects, it sets requirements for any future similar development.

Engineers and planners will have to come up with new ideas to ease traffic flow, a proposition that could prove both costly and lengthy.

In areas where it’s possible, changes in public transportation might be needed to alleviate some of the traffic, too.

As the growth continues, these concrete caverns will fuel an already crucial shortage of housing in the region as people move into the area in search of jobs. Historically high local rents will go higher as the market tightens and housing will be at a premium unless mortgage interest rates get lower.

These issues aren’t going away anytime soon, as industry experts see warehousing expanding down the road.

And there won’t be any speedy delivery of answers.

ED SOCHA | tneditor@tnonline.com

Ed Socha is a retired newspaper editor with more than 40 years’ experience in community journalism.

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.