Canal Cove Road Closed for Wastewater Project, Detours Set Until Easter

Canal Cove Road at Lake Waccamaw is shut down near Weaver Drive. Residents must find another way around. School buses can't use their old routes. The closure stretches from Weaver Drive all the way to 209 Canal Cove Road.

Lake Waccamaw Police posted about the closure on social media this weekend. "Please do not move the signs or try and drive around them," the post reads, per Columbus County News. "It is not safe to drive on. You must use an alternate route."

Town manager Damon Kempski said the contractor made a choice last week to block off this stretch of roadway during work on a wastewater improvement project. They wanted to keep one lane open at first. But the road's width made that too dangerous, Kempski said.

Town officials sat down with the contractor Thursday. Representatives from the school system came. So did first responders. They talked through the closure and what it means for everyone who drives these roads.

The road might stay closed through Easter, Kempski said. That pushes the reopening to April 20.

Workers needed to shut down the whole road because of safety worries tied to the wastewater improvement project. The narrow roadway left no room for traffic while construction crews dug in and did their work.

School buses now take different paths around the blocked section. First responders joined planning sessions to confirm emergency vehicles can still get through when needed. Signs went up at both ends to alert anyone approaching the blocked area.