Pelzer and West Pelzer will be seeing more truck traffic over the next two to three weeks
Outbound Waste Management trucks leaving the Duke energy W.S. Lee plant for the landfill in Homer, Ga. will be using a secondry route for the next three weeks due to repair work being done by the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) on the primary route. According to Duke Energy Spokesperson Emily DeRoberts, District Manager of the SC Government and Community Relations Team for Duke Energy Carolinas, the documented secondary route from early 2015 presented many concerns,so a new alternative secondary route has been designated.
“We have carefully assessed an alternate secondary route that is safer for drivers and the community. We anticipate this route will be used for approximately 2-3 weeks, beginning Monday August 29,” DeRoberts said.
The new proposed route is turning left on Lee Steam Plant Rd, taking a left on Holland Ford Rd (also known as Road 52), left again on Highway 8, and continuing on to I-85 South. SCDOT has recently paved the shoulder of the left-hand turn onto Holland Ford Road and cleared vegetation at this intersection. SCDOT has provided feedback that the left-hand turn onto Hwy 8 does not require a four-way stop due to traffic volume. It is currently a two-way stop with flashing lights.
“This route has fewer neighbors, less turns and has been determined to be overall safer than the current secondary route,” DeRoberts said.
In the interest of safety, Duke Energy will be making automated calls to residents on Holland Ford Rd to alert them to the new truck traffic. Warning signage will be placed at the intersection of Holland Ford Rd and Lee Steam Plant Rd, and warning signage as well as a Greenville County Deputy with flashing vehicle signals will be stationed at the intersection of Holland Ford Rd. and Highway 8 to alert drivers to the trucks.
This secondary route may also occasionally be used by trucks as a “fly by” option when there are too many trucks waiting to be loaded at the W.S. Lee site.
DeRoberts said Duke Energy has been informed by SCDOT that there will be full repaving of Hwy. 247 along the primary route by the end of 2017 which may require use of the secondary route again at that time.
The primary routes are along Beech Springs and Cooley Bridge roads.
DeRoberts said the documented secondary route from early 2015 presented a number of concerns, including a new traffic and construction zone at the plant site with the active combined cycle project, a difficult left-hand turn that will leave trucks blocking traffic while having to cross a problematic intersection, and an elementary school located slightly off this route that was not previously included in the initial assessment.
