Lenoir City council presses planning commission for clearer traffic fixes before county high school approval

Lenoir City — Lenoir City Council heard more than an hour of public comment on traffic and safety concerns tied to a proposed Loudoun County middle/high school site, and council members discussed asking the planning commission to ensure intersection improvements at U.S. 321/Simpson Road and Simpson Road/Shaw Ferry are completed before plans advance.

Residents and an outside engineer told council Tuesday that existing congestion on Simpson Road, Shaw Ferry Road and Highway 11 (U.S. 11/321) could create delays for emergency vehicles and daily commutes if school traffic is routed onto local streets. “Before any request goes to Loudoun Council or Loudoun County, this council should produce a full traffic impact safety study detailing vehicle impact, emergency response delays, and required road improvements before the school opens,” said resident Anthony Duran.

Why it matters: speakers said the site is close to Fort Loudoun Medical Center and to senior living transport routes, and they warned that the proposed school could add hundreds to more than a thousand daily vehicle trips at already congested intersections. A third‑party reviewer hired by local residents, Robert Jackson of Ajax Engineering, told council the…