Tuesday, Mar. 31, 2009

Postal Way perks up after paving

Dean Wooley and his wife, Robin, opened Subs and Suds in December 2007 but had to wait 11 months for the road in front of the business - Postal Way - to open as a connector between two busy roads in Carolina Forest.

Now, Wooley said, the opening has spurred more business from the community's southwest end.

"We chose this location anticipating Postal Way would be open obviously much sooner than it was opened," he said.

The $1.6 million Postal Way was built to alleviate traffic on the often heavily congested U.S. 501.

The 7,200-foot road project took nearly 10 years to come to fruition after it was introduced to the county's planning commission.

Margo Schwam, who co-owns A Touch of Class Bakery/Cafe with Rennay Coleman, said she has seen the difference in traffic from when Postal Way was a dead end in front of her business when it opened in June.

"There was no traffic because you had to come from Carolina [Forest] Boulevard," Schwam said. "So now there's a bit more because it goes both ways."

She said traffic didn't immediately pick up when it opened.

"When it first opened up? Nothing," Schwam said.

"It's just recently that it started to get going. But now, it's growing more and more. ... People are coming from both ways. I'll see it early in the morning and when people are getting off of work."

She said she anticipates use of the road will increase by the summer.

"When the tourists start coming, you're going to see remarkable change because 501 is congested all the time. Once people find a way [from Gardner Lacy Road], it's going to be great."

Jim Wright, director of transportation at Horry County Schools, said Postal Way has made transportation easier around Carolina Forest High School, which has an access road to Postal Way for its buses.

"Any time you can stay off of 501, it's positive for us," Wright said. "That road should help free up some congestion on Gardner Lacy as well for all of the people that live in the subdivisions out there.

"Postal Way has been a big positive for us."

Since the opening of the winding road, business also has picked up for Wooley's beer and sandwich shop.

"I think our most significant increase has been in our deliveries," Wooley said. "People are starting to get the idea that we could deliver. We could deliver more easily down to Gardner Lacy and down to [Coastal Carolina University] because of Postal Way, which has made it a lot easier."