York County motorists brace for more traffic woes near Carowinds

The opening this week of Cabela’s sporting goods store and an ongoing expansion of the Carowinds amusement park have turned exit 90 off Interstate 77 into a hot spot for retailing and relaxing – with expectations of more development to come.

But it is also a slow spot – for traffic.

Already one of the heaviest traveled corridors in York County with 34,000 vehicles a day, the more-stop-than-go traffic on Carowinds Boulevard and U.S. 21 is expected to get worse. Traffic studies predict that at peak times, Carowinds Boulevard could become a constant traffic jam, making it impossible for drivers to predict their travel times.

While local and state elected leaders – along with transportation experts – say they are working to improve Carowinds Boulevard and intersecting roads, it could take as many as seven years, possibly longer, for improvements to be made, some say. Getting the funding, conducting engineering studies, acquiring any needed right of way and construction takes time.

The time frame for road construction could coincide with the next growth spurt for the interchange. There are predictions of more restaurants – sit-down as well as fast-food – more retail shops and possibly a full-service hotel.

The anticipated spin-off development could come in as few as five years, but likely longer as it takes time to acquire land, secure financing, find a contractor and construct a building, say developers such as Rep. Ralph Norman.

“It’s something that’s hot, everyone wants to be there,” said Michael Johnson, who represents the Carowinds area on the York County Council. “We want growth in the right way, growth that broadens the tax base.”

Johnson, who once operated the Carolina Cyclone roller coaster as a summer employee at Carowinds, knows all too well the impact of the amusement park has on York County.

As for Cabela’s, “we could not have picked something better for this site. We have breathed new life into this area,” he said.

“But, the disheartening side is it takes so long to get results,” on road projects, he said.

“We are still behind the eight ball,” said Rep. Gary Simrill, R-Rock Hill, who said he has been working to find state or federal funds for the interchange. Simrill is the chairman of a special House committee tasked with finding solutions for improving South Carolina’s highways.

Nonetheless, Simrill, Johnson and others are confident they will find the funds and start making improvements quickly.

Traffic studies

There are several ongoing efforts to address the safety and traffic issues on Carowinds Boulevard – and the need to handle more vehicles that come with development. In addition to Carowinds and Cabela’s, Broad River Furniture announced last week it is moving its corporate office and distribution center from Charlotte to near the amusement park, potentially adding some 200 cars to the morning and evening commute.

Cabela’s, along with fast-food and retail businesses planned for its site, could add up to 6,172 trips a day to the corridor, according to a traffic study submitted to the county by consultants Kimley-Horn and Associates. The study said the existing corridor should be able to handle the increased traffic caused by Cabela’s, noting that peak times for Cabela’s and Carowinds do not necessarily coincide with traditional morning and evening commutes.

Carowinds will likely help fund some of the needed improvements as park officials are working with the state and York County to create a designated development district.

Creating the district means that a small percentage of the state’s admission tax charged at Carowinds would be returned to York County for area road improvements. A previous tax district reached its 15-year sunset in April 2014. During the district’s 15 years, its revenue paid $840,323 for more turn lanes on Carowinds Boulevard and $858,874 for extended exit lanes on I-77.

The state and the York County Council will have to approve a new district.

The amount raised by the district was not available last week from county officials. But when the district expired, $1.7 million remained unspent. York County is using the funds to study traffic congestion and make improvements between Foothills Way at the I-77 exit to the amusement park’s entrance, said Phil Leazer, transportation program manager for York County.

Some of the money could be used to revamp Festival Drive, which provides access to Cabela’s. Festival Drive, Leazer said, is confusing for drivers as it starts as a one-way road and then becomes two-way.

The Rock Hill/Fort Mill Area Transportation Study group recently hired a consultant to look at traffic west of the park, specifically the intersection of Carowinds Boulevard and Pleasant Road.

That intersection is the second most congested in the county, said David Hooper, administrator for RFATS. The worst is the intersection of India Hook and Celanese roads in Rock Hill.

The study’s minimum requirements recommend a second westbound turn lane from Carowinds Boulevard to southbound Pleasant Valley and a second northbound right-turn lane on Pleasant Road to eastbound Carowinds Boulevard.

The cost of the study and acquiring any needed right of way is $600,000, Hooper said. Engineering studies are anticipated to be done in 2016 with right-of-way acquisitions in 2018. No date – or cost estimate – has been set for road construction.

The intersection of Carowinds Boulevard and U.S. 21 – along with an I-77 off-ramp and Spring Farm Road – is also severely congested, according to 2013 data from the state Department of Transportation. At peak times the intersection was at “traffic-jam” status. To improve the intersection, another lane was added to Spring Farm Road, creating a right turn into the Lakemont Business Park where Wells Fargo has its home mortgage offices. The new lane seems to help traffic flow.

While the engineers study the traffic congestion, Simrill said he is working to find between $12 million and $14 million to make road improvements along the corridor.

To gather support – and possible funding – Simrill said this project involves more than just a new road. It is an economic development project. Simrill said he has talked with the S.C. Department of Commerce about possible funding, as well as the state Department of Transportation. Funding from the state’s Transportation Infrastructure Bank is also a possibility, he said.

Simrill’s focus isn’t limited to the Carowinds exit. With LPL Financial and the Lash Group set to build new complexes on S.C. 160, Simrill also wants to find between $5 million and $7 million to improve its interchange with I-77.

Economic growth

With Carowinds making a series of improvement to the park, including the Fury 325 giga coaster, and Cabela’s opening its latest store, there is more economic potential for the interchange.

More development would increase the tax base and bring in more visitors, who would spend even more money. At the most basic level, it means more fuel sales. South Carolina’s gas prices are among the lowest in the country, and one-third of all state fuel sales are to vehicles with out-of-state license plates, Simrill said.

What Carowinds and Cabela’s offer that most other operations don’t is a key demographic. They are destination experiences that attract families.

“Cabela’s is the Disney World, Disneyland of the sporting world,” said Marianne Bickle, professor at the University of South Carolina’s college of hospitality, retail and sports management.

The Fort Mill Cabela’s, which opens Thursday, has an indoor mountain and aquarium, lifelike stuffed animals thorough the store, an indoor archery range and a cafe.

At Carowinds, Fury 325 is projected to be the world’s tallest and fastest giga coaster. Fury has a 63 second ascent to 325 feet, an 81-degree drop reaching speeds up to 95 miles per hour, and then a series of hills, curves and quick transitions – a 3 1/2 minute ride.

While Fury is getting most of the attention the park has made other improvements including a bigger vehicle plaza with 10 lanes instead of six, more parking, a new park entrance and enhanced food options.

That family demographic means spin-off retailers and restaurants want to be as close to Cabela’s as possible, Bickle said. Cabela’s plans include 5,000 square feet for fast-food restaurants and 45,000 square feet of retail space next to its new store. Bickle said don’t be surprised if the mix includes several hair cutting operations.

Proximity to Carowinds is important too, said Lisa Meadows, executive director of the Rock Hill/York County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Meadows said the Cracker Barrel restaurant near Carowinds generates the most hospitality tax revenue of any restaurant in York County.

Meadows and others would like to see a full-service hotel with a major brand name at the interchange. A full-service hotel could help support the county’s sport tourism efforts, she said. A major hotel could also boost efforts to build a indoor sports complex in the county, she said.

Bickle said hotels base their location decisions on many factors. While Carowinds is the No. 1 gated attraction in South Carolina, “it’s not Disneyland,” she said. And while Cabela’s often draws customers from many states, it won’t be the deciding factor in whether to build a hotel at the interchange, she said.

While about 100 acres of developable land is available near Pleasant Road, according to the recent traffic study, most of the property that fronts on Carowinds Boulevard has been developed west of the interchange.

Norman said any new development would likely require razing an existing building and new construction.

Bickle said investors in the South, particularly the Carolinas, Kentucky and Georgia, are used to that. About 80 percent of new development in those states “start with teardowns,” she said. “There is only so much property and the land is more valuable than what’s on it.”

Spin-off development, however, is not the only thing in the mix. Carowinds vice president and general manager Mike Fehnel said Thursday the park plans another “sizable investment” announcement at the end of this year’s season.

This story was originally published March 7, 2015 at 6:21 PM with the headline "York County motorists brace for more traffic woes near Carowinds."