New Traffic Plan Coming for Hough

By Dave Vieser – A new stacking plan for cars near Hough High School will begin Monday, April 13, when students return from spring break.

At a recent Town Board meeting, Mayor Denis Bilodeau said he recently met with CMS officials and that a new plan for staging cars on Bailey Road for student pickup will be implemented.

In recent years, Hough High School stopped using the front parking lot for pickup stacking, adding to queues on Bailey Road during morning drop off and afternoon pickup times.

CMS has agreed to reinstate pickup stacking in the front parking area. The change will take effect Monday morning as students return to school. CMS communicated the new arrangement last week to those parents.

School officials said the change is being made in partnership with the Town of Cornelius and the Cornelius Police Department to help alleviate local traffic congestion. The plan will be used for the remainder of the school year, with officials evaluating its impact on both the community and school operations.

Staff and police officers will be on-site during the first several days to assist drivers, and motorists are advised to arrive 10 to 15 minutes earlier than usual during the first week as traffic patterns adjust. Drivers are also asked to follow the designated route, remain alert and avoid using nearby side streets for drop-offs.

The town, N.C. Department of Transportation and CMS will evaluate the impacts of the reinstated stacking and hope it reduces queuing on Bailey Road.

“Hopefully this will work better and improve sight distance in the area,” Bilodeau said.