‘A fantastic resolution’: Myrtle Beach, Horry County look to fix Grande Dunes road woes
Following residential outcry over a perilous roadway at Grande Dunes, Myrtle Beach and Horry County are joining forces to make improvements to the private community.
Improvements would include paving a just over mile-long dirt road that provides difficulty for both residents and emergency vehicles to traverse. The road is split between Horry County and Myrtle Beach, with about .43 miles in county territory and approximately .72 miles located in the city.
“It would be a great improvement for us in terms of public safety,” Assistant City Manager Fox Simons said on Thursday during a Myrtle Beach workshop meeting. “It would allow us to get equipment back there a whole lot faster than we do now.”
After Myrtle Beach officials narrowly voted down a proposal last July that would have built a road connecting the Grande Dunes Members Club and former Waterway Hills Golf Club, residents approached council with concerns regarding their inability to travel safely within their community.
Residents explained that while they have two ways of accessing their homes, both options, a faulty bridge and the dirt road, have proven to be hazardous and impractical.
The private bridge, which runs over the Intracoastal Waterway, often shuts down during icy conditions and when there’s sustained winds of over 35 mph, has limitations for heavy traffic and can support only one truck or emergency vehicle at a time. Additionally, the bridge has been undergoing months-long structural repairs, leaving only one traffic lane available for use, officials said.
Margaret Lacalle, president of LStar Ventures Coastal North Division, said the bridge underwent a 90-day maintenance project that concluded last September. The bridge is managed by LStar Ventures, which bought the 2,200-acre Grande Dunes development from Burroughs & Chapin Co. in 2013.
The only other access road available to residents is Henry Road, a 1.3 mile dirt road riddled with potholes that isn’t maintained by the county nor the city.
“It’s a very rough road,” Simons said. “I was going 10 mph down that road on Sunday and I was bouncing around - I can’t imagine a fire truck going down there in an emergency situation (and) how long it would take them to get through there if they can’t get across that bridge.”
Officials said there’s a proposal for a three-party memorandum of understanding between the county, the city and the Golf Village Property Owners Association to improve the roadway. An agreement would see all three entities funding the pavement of their portions of the roadway.
Upon the agreement, the county would oversee the project and obtain ownership of the entire road once the project is complete.
While the cost to repair the roadway will remain unknown until a contractor is hired, Simons said both the county and city will use a designated amount of each of its annually apportioned County Road Fee funds to pay for the paving and any associated costs needed for its portions of the road.
“This is a fantastic resolution,” POA president John Bree said. “It’s the right thing to do.”
City officials are expected to vote on the proposal during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
This story was originally published January 11, 2020 at 1:29 PM.
