TRAFFIC | By Dave Vieser

March 11. Anyone expecting a quick fix to traffic conditions near Hough High and Bailey Middle will be disappointed after a long-awaited traffic study was unveiled at a Cornelius Town Board meeting.

“Two of the key proposals designed to relieve congestion—widening Bailey Road and adding turn lanes—were rejected by the State DOT” said Steve Blakley, of Kimley Horn Consultants, the firm that conducted the study. “This leaves us with one primary goal for Bailey Road: To reduce queuing on public roads and increase queuing on school property where possible.“

The $174,500 Bailey Road/Zion Avenue study addressed a troubling area. Between buses, students driving to and from school and carpooling, as well as traffic generated by a variety of residential developments including Bailey’s Glen, Bailey Road is a real challenge for motorists on school days

To achieve these goals, the town will need to negotiate with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. In addition, some of the queuing changes may impact Bailey Glen Boulevard, the only direct entrance to the Bailey Glen development from Bailey Road.

For the Bailey Glen residents, relief from the congestion they suffer on school days can’t come soon enough. A business park has been proposed for the center of the study area.

“Several years ago, when COVID-19 hit, the schools were giving out computers and the wait on Bailey Road was close to two hours,” said resident Jean Miller. “At the same time, I was desperately trying to get out of our community to reach the hospital where my daughter was undergoing brain surgery. Ultimately I had to drive through a ditch to get out of my own development. Make no mistake, this traffic congestion is not just an inconvenience, it’s a  a matter of life and death!”

Various serpentine routes through the school parking lots for motorists picking up or dropping off students were also discussed at the meeting, and each came with certain complications.

However, CMS does support a temporary entry/exit option to the schools utilizing two roundabouts, at an estimated cost of $7.5 million. Cornelius cannot support this option due to the high cost/benefit ratio.

“It sounds like it’s going to come down to discussions which the town will have with CMS,” said Mayor Woody Washam as the one-hour discussion ended.

Zion Avenue Extension

The town had also asked Kimley Horn to look at the possibility of extending Zion Avenue southward to reduce congestion. Their response: forget it.  “While an extended Zion Avenue would provide a connectivity alternative east of the rail line, our study indicates that it would offer little congestion relief to Highway 115 at a moderately high cost,” Blakley said.