CAROLINA FOREST, SC (WBTW) – Horry County Planning and Zoning unveiled design plans for the Carolina Forest Boulevard widening project Wednesday night, but residents in the area are worried it won’t be enough to alleviate the traffic problems on the road.
The design plans include expanding Carolina Forest Boulevard from one lane to four, and adding a 10 foot multipurpose pathway along the sides of the road. The county will also wants to add several traffic lights along certain entrances to the subdivisions.
The residents of Carolina Forest still want to see more improvements to the project design.
“I think what would help us more would be a turning lane, so at least we can get across to one side,” says Joan Williams, who has been a Carolina Forest resident for three years.
She says the county can’t afford to wait any longer to begin construction on the road.
“Especially if they’re gonna put this new subdivision in, and both entrances are on Carolina Forest. That’s really gonna be bad,” says Williams.
According to the Horry County Planning and Zoning Interim Director, David Schwerd, they can’t break ground until Spring 2019.
“We still have a lot of property owners that we have to obtain easements from for the multipurpose pathway,” says Schwerd.
He adds that the county is hoping to have design plans finalized by the end of this Fall; their goal to begin construction is Spring 2019, however, the project could take over two years to construct.
“We have a lot of road projects and there’s a lot of growth going on, so trying to get somebody to come in and actually build the roads is a competitive field right now,” says Schwerd.
You can submit any design suggestions or ideas to the Carolina Forest Civic Association Facebook page.
