Many motorists since the start of the year 2025 have passed by and wondered about what’s being developed in the flurry of activity at the southwest corner of 142nd Avenue and Division in Leighton Township.
It’s a huge distribution center developed by R+L Carriers, a privately owned American freight shipping company based in Wilmington, Ohio.
Some folks in the know have added that there will be a restaurant, a truck wash and some other businesses, along with a Marathon gas station on the corner. The gas station is not related to J & H, customarily an accompanying convenience store.
R + L Carriers officials say they hope to have the huge truck plaza and distribution center completed by next April.
The project already is drawing some criticism.
One Facebook poster wrote, “It would be nice if the powers that be would deal with the increased traffic that this new addition will add to nearby roads. Things like a traffic light and right turn lanes at Division and 142nd and traffic light or lights at the ramps on 131 (expressway) should happen before the truck terminal is even allowed to open.”
The Facebook poster said he lives not far away on Division and fears traffic shutdowns and road closures as a result of the project.
R+L Carriers not long ago announced the opening of facility in the southwest portion of Grand Rapids, in the Kentwood area.
“The service center makes it easy to transfer goods throughout Michigan and access alternative routes through the Midwest and north to Canada,” officials said. “The expansive network or R+L Carriers facilities make it possible to avoid congested lanes and reduce shipping costs by utilizing shorter distances. This new service center not only serves numerous customers in Grand Rapids and Wyoming, but also supports shippers in Lansing, Muskegon, Holland, Kalamazoo and more.”
This 16,000-square-foot facility in Kentwood sits on seven acres of land and is equipped with 48 dock doors and 2,500 square feet of office space.
R+L Carriers is a global freight transportation and logistics company that has remained family-owned and operated since 1965. It offers one of the most comprehensive networks of nationwide service centers for LTL, Truckload, Expedited and Cross-Border Shipping. R+L Carriers also has a portfolio of services that extends to international supply chain management, warehousing and customs brokerage.
Townbroadcast reported in its year-end analysis last December that “area planning commissions, township boards and the Wayland City City Council have been inundated with requests and local officials have been grappling with issues of how to cope with and regulate inevitable urban sprawl.
Part of the threat of tremendous growth is the identified need for affordable housing and the convenient location between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo.
