CONWAY - Most of us who ride along US Highway 501 know how busy it becomes with travelers especially when driving out of Conway into Myrtle Beach. However now fallen tree limbs are getting in the way of some drivers.
For years the Bradford Pear trees have been a staple along the busy highway and many who are familiar with the heavily traveled road drive past these trees that usually blossom with white flowers.
"They were put there I think for beautification to look nice but we are going to keep them as long as we can," said Shannon Welch with the South Carolina Department of Transportation.
Wanda Lilly an arborist with the City of Conway said given the state’s high wind climate some Bradford Pear tree is not a good choice because of its weak limb attachment.
“Because of this angle attachment it keeps a lot of water and moisture in that inner part of the tree so it keeps it wet and more likely to split and fail," said Lilly.
Tuesday that kind of failure could be seen in the median along the highway where broken branches and tree limbs laid scattered across the grass.
“Here we have some spider eggs growing in this area,” said Lilly pointing to a damaged tree trunk, “So disease and insects are definitely going to go into this, it's like an open door to your house.”
It's a problem that SCDOT is left with cleaning up every time the Grand Strand gets its share of bad thunderstorms.
"If someone would want to pull over here in an emergency situation they certainly could not,” Lilly said.
"Luckily a lot of times they end up falling in the median and don't get in the roadway but sometimes they have fallen in the road and of course we get a call and we will remove it then but it can be a distraction,” Welch said.
Welch said it's a distraction that drivers should be extra cautious until a final decision about what to do with the trees for good\is made.
If the department was to remove all of the tress it would take a couple of weeks and cost a few thousand dollars to do it, he said.
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