UPDATE: SCDOT’s work on the US 17 overpass at Kings Highway is now set to begin on Wednesday, March 8
Northbound lanes of US 17 now will be detoured onto 82nd Parkway beginning Wednesday, March 8. The detour is needed for maintenance of the bridge which passes over Kings Highway, near Carolina Opry. Southbound US 17 traffic will not be affected.
Maintenance includes sandblasting and painting the overpass, as well as checking for structural soundness. Similarly, Kings Highway traffic headed southbound on US 17 will be detoured onto 82nd Parkway.
MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – A busy road on the northern end of Myrtle Beach will close for about two and a half months when crews begin construction work March 13.
Crews are repairing the bridge where the 17 Bypass meets Business 17, or Kings Highway. The bridge, located near the Carolina Opry, was built in 1973 and now it’s time for repairs.
South Carolina Department of Transportation says the bridge needs to be painted and the driving surface needs to be repaired.
Lanes beneath the bridge will also see changes as crews work to make sure no paint falls on the roadway beneath the overpass. Containment units were placed on the bridge to catch any dripping paint, but as crews paint the bridge, there will be varying lane closures under the bridge.
“The biggest thing is going to be to pay attention to the signage in the area because this construction project has several different steps involved,” explains SCDOT Resident Construction Engineer Anna Barnhill. “It’s not going to be a static situation. It’s not going to be the same driving condition from day-to-day. It is going to change.”
Once the preparations for the bridge are complete, the bridge will be closed because the maintenance requires no weight to be on the bridge. The City of Myrtle Beach says the work, originally planned for March 6, will begin March 13
During this period, northbound traffic on 17 Bypass will be detoured onto 82nd Parkway and then back to Kings Highway. Similarly, Kings Highway traffic headed southbound on US 17 will be detoured onto 82nd Parkway. Detour signs will be posted directing travelers where to go.
Weather permitting, all of the construction is set to finish on May 25.
“So people just need to be aware when they’re driving through there for the next couple of months,” says Barnhill. “To be aware that the lane closures are going to change and at some point the bridge is going to be closed and they’re going to need to be aware so they can take the detour.”
