BELMONT, N.C. — A solution to alleviate worsening traffic congestion along South Point Road in Belmont remains years away, according to city manager Adrian Miller.
Drivers said growth along the road, including the new Belmont Middle School, a new shopping center and homes, has led to increased congestion, especially during drop-off and dismissal times for both schools.
Miller said the North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) doesn't have the funds to make improvements to the state-run road.
Christal Thompson lives along the road, and she found she can get to places faster walking her corgi than driving on South Point Road during dismissal time.
"It's kind of like driving in some of the very congested areas of Charlotte now because there is so much traffic at school times," Thompson said. "We have the middle the school, the high school, Harris Teeter."
Kaileen Pitt said she kept her car at the house and walked when she needed to go somewhere during school days.
"It's a give and take thing. Belmont has to grow," Pitt said. "There's going to be more traffic. To me, it's not hard to just navigate around it."
Miller said DOT hopes to build a four-lane boulevard running north-to-south along the South Point peninsula called the South Fork Parkway.
He said DOT can't afford to build it so they're partnering with private developers with the first segment expected to be built in a few years.
"In the short term, for the next five years, I just don't know how this small road's going to handle all the traffic," Thompson said.
Contact Brandon Golder at bgoldner@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.