Focus Friday: Jackie Huffman, Jamie Justice, Andrew Grant, Beth Cashion

June 28. By Dave Vieser. The Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce welcomed top officials from Davidson, Cornelius and Huntersville to their June Focus Friday event. It didn’t take long for moderator Beth Cashion to ask what’s the most frequent concern the town officials hear about from their residents. The unanimous response: Traffic congestion.

“Many residents believe that the town has jurisdiction over many of our main roads such as Hwy. 115 and West Catawba Avenue,” said Cornelius Town Manager Andrew Grant. “However, we don’t. Those are state-maintained thoroughfares.”

Huntersville’s  Assistant Town Manager Jackie Huffman concurred. “At Town Board meetings, we often have to explain that we don’t really have control over those busier thoroughfares. “

Some of the confusion may arise from newcomers in the area who moved from other parts of the country where some of the busier roads are maintained by counties rather than the state.

In Mecklenburg County, dedicated roads are under the jurisdiction of either the NCDOT or the local town, not the county. Roads which are not dedicated would be under private jurisdiction.

All the more reason that the towns need to work together on road and traffic issues, said Davidson Town Manager Jamie Justice. “Our three towns strive to work closely as much as we can.”

Next month: Engaging with CPCC corporate and campus affairs on July 19.