Tournament Boulevard intersection creates traffic headaches for Horry County

State transportation officials agree that traffic congestion is a problem at the intersection of Tournament Boulevard and McDowell Shortcut Road near the new Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market, but say what they lack is the money to do anything about it.

The intersection is so close to the U.S. Highway 17 Bypass that traffic stacks up beyond the four-way stop, especially during rush hour when a five-minute trip to work can take 30 minutes. When a new fire station opens in the Burgess area this weekend, officials say the traffic jams could become a threat to public safety.

“The fire trucks will not be able to access Highway 17 easily, ever, until that intersection is fixed,” said state Rep. Russell Fry, R-Surfside Beach. “Not only is it an issue of traffic congestion, but a public safety issue that the residents of Burgess need to have solved sooner rather than later.”

Transportation officials completed a study in January that recommended against constructing a roundabout at the four-way stop.

Now they are considering whether two left turning lanes should be constructed at the U.S. Highway 17 Bypass signal, and whether the four-way stop intersection of Tournament and McDowell should be widened to include turning lanes, or a traffic light installed, said Leah Quattlebaum, project manager for the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT).

“There’s been a lot of public interest in this particular intersection to improve safety,” Quattlebaum said. “But no funding has been identified for improvements at this time.”

State Rep. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Georgetown, says the congested intersection is high on his list of priorities, and that he is seeking funding solutions at the local and state level.

Both lawmakers say the likely funding sources are the Grand Strand Area Transportation Study Committee (GSATS) or the County Transportation Committee (CTC). However, Fry said not much funding is left in the GSATS pot, and the expected $1.5 million price tag may be too steep for the CTC fund.

“I can’t be satisfied with the answer that there’s not enough money, because we literally cannot move in traffic,” Goldfinch said. “That road is the No. 1 problem for people getting to work late, getting their kids to school late.

“We’ve got to get something moving on this project immediately,” Goldfinch said.

Al Jordan, president of the Greater Burgess Community Association, said he’s doubtful that a traffic signal at the four-way stop would alleviate the backup, but agreed that turning lanes might ease congestion.

“I’m not sure what the solution should be, but I am sure it’s a big problem and a real safety issue,” Jordan said.

“This area is building homes as fast as they can,” Jordan said. “This is one of the fastest growing parts of the county and people are seeing what it is right now, and then visualize what it’s going to be, so we are seriously concerned about it.”

Goldfinch said the traffic congestion should have been addressed when Horry County planning officials gave the green light for Wal-Mart to construct a new grocery store near the corner of U.S. 17 Bypass and Tournament Boulevard. Local government often requires businesses to pay for nearby roadwork if an increase in traffic is expected to create congestion, he said.

“It was a problem before they came, and it will be a serious problem after Wal-Mart opens,” Goldfinch said.

Fry agreed that once the store opens, congestion will become “a complete nightmare.”

County officials did mandate that Wal-Mart pay for the turning lanes currently under construction at the store’s exit onto Tournament Boulevard, which is expected to be completed by this spring.

However, jurisdiction surrounding the four-way stop is shared between county and state officials. Horry County maintains Tournament Boulevard from the McDowell Shortcut Road to S.C. Highway 707 and the opposite side of McDowell Shortcut. The state transportation department maintains Tournament Boulevard from the McDowell Shortcut to U.S. Highway 17 Bypass and the McDowell Shortcut to S.C. Highway 707.

“We believe the current improvements by SCDOT at Tournament Boulevard and U.S. Highway 17 will certainly help the stacking issue by having the additional lane,” said Lisa Bourcier, Horry County spokeswoman. “SCDOT is studying options for the intersection improvements at Tournament Boulevard and McDowell Shortcut, and we will continue to work with them.”

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 6:31 PM with the headline "Tournament Boulevard intersection creates traffic headaches for Horry County."