Check out the traffic loop around Myrtle Beach for 2017 Bikefest

The traffic loop for Memorial Day Bikefest celebrations will be identical to last year, according to Myrtle Beach Police Lt. Joey Crosby.

The 23-mile loop will start at 29th Avenue North and Ocean Boulevard, moving south on the boulevard to Kings Highway near the Myrtle Beach airport, then up Harrelson Boulevard to U.S. 501, onto northbound U.S. 31, down southbound George Bishop Parkway, onto 29th Avenue North, and back onto Ocean Boulevard.

A southbound entrance to the loop will be available from the restaurant row area.

From May 26 to 30, all traffic on Ocean Boulevard from 29th Avenue North to South Kings Highway will be southbound, with northbound lanes reserved for emergency vehicles, according to a post on the city of Myrtle Beach’s website. The loop will be in effect from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. from May 26 to 29.

Officials have said the loop was instituted in order to control traffic as bikers descend upon the Grand Strand for the annual Memorial Day celebration. The event, also called “Black Bike Week,” also will feature increased police presence.

The event originated in Atlantic Beach, which announced earlier this year it will feature entertainment. The town also renamed its celebrations the “Atlantic Beach Memorial Day Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival.”

This story was originally published March 7, 2017 at 3:19 PM with the headline "Check out the traffic loop around Myrtle Beach for 2017 Bikefest."