Aug. 12. UPDATE 11:30 am. By Dave Vieser. It looks like South Street into Davison and the covered bridge in Antiquity are turning into altnerate travel routes as congestion builds in and around Cornelius. A petition with more than 100 signatures will be presented to the Cornelius Town Board Monday night seeking help with traffic rumbling through the Antiquity neighborhood.
Giselle Massi, who lives on Advocates Court near the Antiquity bridge, said the situation has become severe since construction began on I-77.
“I’m not a traffic engineer but I have been blessed with a good deal of common sense,” Massi said. “I fear that this situation is only going to get worse unless the town steps in now.”
More often than not, I-77 is now the alternate route for travel in and around Lake Norman. Discussions on the Exit 28 Ridiculousness page say cheater drivers are shooting down exit lanes and popping back into traffic, others are getting off northbound I-77 at Exit 30 in Davidson, and immediately re-entering I-77 on the other side of Griffith Street to resume northbound travel. Meanwhile, construction down the middle of I-77 has created a vast wasteland of dried clay that billows into the traffic lanes when it’s dry and breezy.
And some are cutting through Davidson and Antiquity for north- and southbound travel.
Massi is going to be asking the town to study the issue, and consider a number of traffic calming measures, such as road reflectors, stop signs, a lower speed limit and better signage. Meanwhile, a new development on the Davidson-Cornelius border, Antiquity Woods, could add more congestion to the area. The 16-arec project will have 107 houses and villas, along with a central garden and the Village Tavern Inn, a mixed-use building.
“Bottom line, the roads in Antiquity were never built to handle this type of traffic,” Massi said. Of course, the volume of cars increased after Harris Teeter opened, drawing shoppers from Davidson on South Street into Antiquity.
The Antiquity Homeowners Association has been working closely with the Town of Cornelius for more than a year on traffic safety concerns.
However, drivers looking for options to I-77, as well as the apartment complex being built now are raising more concerns, residents said.
Massi is also looking for help from the Davidson Town Board since the issue involves both jurisdictions.
Also at Monday’s meeting, Cornelius commissioners are expected to make a decision on a request for a zoning change on the southwest corner of the Grace Covenant Church property located on Highway 21. Approval would permit the erection of a new cell phone tower at that location.
The meeting begins at 7 pm, in the Board Meeting Room, Town Hall.
