Sumner County highway panel refers Hunters Lane and Wolfpack Way traffic concerns to County Commission

Hendersonville residents urged Sumner County officials on Jan. 6 to address traffic, access and safety problems they say have worsened since a nearby school opened, and the Sumner County Highway Commission voted to send the matter to the County Commission for a traffic-plan review.

During the public-comment portion of the meeting, multiple residents described long vehicle queues that they said form because “the principal will not allow any cars on school property before 2 p.m.,” a restriction that, according to speakers, forces parents to queue on Hunters Lane and Wolfpack Way and sometimes blocks driveways. Several residents also reported speeding vehicles and near-miss collisions on neighborhood streets.

"At 2 p.m. the cars are backed up the hill and cannot access their homes," said Mike McClard of Tioga Trail, summarizing a recurring complaint from several neighbors. Other speakers cited related concerns on Latimer Lane and Long Hollow Pike and flagged stop-sign and sight-line problems.

Chairman Tim Jones said the county should not accept Wolfpack Way as a county road until the traffic and design issues are resolved. "I will not accept Wolfpack Way until the issues are taken care of," Jones said, arguing that the road’s current layout and the school’s traffic pattern need rework before the county assumes maintenance responsibility.

Commissioner Dr. Jamie Teachenor moved to send the traffic plans to the County Commission for review; Teachenor also encouraged residents to contact their school board members about pickup and dismissal procedures. The motion to refer passed unanimously.

The referral does not itself change any road classifications or traffic controls; it sends the county’s traffic plans and the residents’ concerns to the County Commission and signals that the Highway Commission seeks further review and possible action. The Highway Commission adjourned at 5:52 p.m.