CORNELIUS, N.C. — If you’ve ever driven on Interstate 77 in Cornelius, it’s likely you’ve sat in traffic at any given time of the day. Now, town leaders say they’re trying to help with congestion.
Local leaders in Cornelius told Channel 9’s Erika Jackson that a new exit could fix some of the traffic near Lake Norman.
The town recently received $4.7 million in federal funding, and the money will go toward planning a new interchange at I-77 and Westmoreland Road.
Drivers like Ray Guerra say backups are a common sight. He says he hits the brakes as much as the gas.
“Miserable, obviously terrible -- this whole stretch of I-77 right here is really bad,” Guerra said.
Cornelius Mayor Denis Bilodeau says this is a critical move to improving the flow of traffic and keeping up with growth in the region.
Cornelius Town Commissioner Colin Furcht told Jackson that he believes there’s enough support for Exit 27 to make it a reality, but it won’t be cheap.
“That 4.7 million is to just make sure it’s a feasible project,” Furcht said. “We’re hearing numbers around $100m to get this project started. Certainly the town isn’t responsible for that whole piece.”
Furcht told Jackson that the town has been planning for a project like this for years.
“We always have to keep a little extra on an annual basis because every project we’ve had over the last 10,15, 20 years has always gone up. Nothing ever gets cheaper. So having a little extra in the pot does make it easier for us to say yes to projects like this,” Furcht said.
Guerra says he supports building a new exit, but he worries the cost will fall on consumers.
“That might spike up taxes so much around the area. There’s some pros and cons, maybe the pros can outweigh cons,” Guerra said.
The town says the project could be in place by 2035 if funding, design, and all other approvals come together. So far, the only aspect that’s been secured is the money for planning.
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