Bumper-to-bumper traffic, loud music and speeding vehicles are all reasons that Total and the Port Arthur and Groves police department have started to direct traffic around the outside of the nearby residential community.

12 News Reporter Liz McKernan has more information.

The flow of traffic is only being directed during shift changes at the Total Port Arthur Refinery. This became a recent problem after Total hired nearly 1,000 additional contractors for an expansion project and their plans to hire 1,000 more is the reason police decided to implement this alternate route.

"Don't get to sleep real late on days when traffic is heavy like that" said Thomas Hoyt who lives just off 32nd Street.

Hoyt lives across the street from a parking lot for contractors with the Total Port Arthur Refinery and on Monday morning he noticed that the traffic had changed.

"I didn't see the traffic that we had been having - it did not back up I know that" said Hoyt.

"This is the area that we'd like workers to avoid" said Jeff Wilmore of the Groves Police Department.

Wilmore was a part of that change implementing a new route for workers coming and going from the plant directing them around the outside of the residential neighborhood. The route blocks off use of roads like Taft Avenue and 32nd Street.

"It's not right to single out a population" said contractor Beth Leger.

But the new route is facing some opposition.

"If they need to change the shifts or do something like that - but to tell people that are taxpayers that they can't use a road I don't think that's correct" added Leger.

The goal of the new route planned out by law enforcement and Total is meant to alleviate congestion problems from residential areas next-door to the plant.

"We're ramping up our preparation to make sure that we can get the traffic through safely, which is our number one goal, and at the same time impact the citizens of Groves that live in the area as little as possible" added Wilmore.

Leaving residents like Hoyt grateful but ready for the process to end.

"I just want to see them get the construction done and over with and get back to normal" said Hoyt.

Traffic will be expected to trickle down after another year or so as the expansion project is completed.

The bottom of the flyer given out to workers says tickets will be issued to violators but talking to the police department 12 News learned that tickets will only be given to those violating traffic laws in the area such as speeding or making too much noise in neighborhoods.