ARDEN, N.C. (WLOS) — Popeyes opened in Arden earlier this week, and, since then, a constant line of cars has been overflowing onto Airport Road.
“They got good chicken,” Popeyes customer Ryan Blair said.
“Once we saw Popeyes here, we were pretty excited,” Mary Locascio, of Bryson City, said.
Locascio said the fast food restaurant reminds her of home.
“I’m originally from Louisiana, and that’s where Popeyes was born,” Locascio said.
The parking lot was full Tuesday afternoon, forcing some customers to park in neighboring lots.
“We just went around again and decided to park here in the neighbor's parking lot,” Frank Locascio said
For those not interested in fried chicken, the backup was frustrating.
“This traffic is horrendous,” one driver said. “They need a better entrance into Popeyes.”
During lunch and dinner time, a line of about 30 cars were seen stopped along the busy highway.
“So, that is creating a hazard,” NCDOT's David Uchiyama said.
According to DOT, up to 34,000 cars drive along Airport Road near Interstate 26 daily. Any extra congestion can increase the chances for fender benders.
“What we would like folks to do is to know ahead of time, like when you know when it’s raining, you have to be aware wet roads,” Uchiyama said.
Popeyes is one of a many new businesses popping up on Airport Road.
DOT said there are no planned infrastructure changes to deal with the increase in traffic.
It expects delays to die down within the next two weeks.