Traffic in Myrtle Beach will be a nightmare this weekend. Here's how to plan.
Myrtle Beach police are ramping up for what's going to be a busy weekend in the Market Common area.
With three events — the Blue Angels, the Dragon Boat races and a three-day soccer tournament, police have a plan to help keep traffic moving.
During a press conference Wednesday morning, Capt. Joey Crosby with the Myrtle Beach Police Department presented the plan.
"Please be patient," Crosby said. "There's going to be a lot of people on the roadways so make sure you plan ahead."
Crosby said that for the airshow, parts of Kings Highway will be closed. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday the road will be closed between 29th Avenue South and Farrow Parkway between 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Drivers will be able to travel on Ocean Boulevard and detour signs will be posted.
As for parking in The Market Common, Crosby encouraged people to park only in marked parking spaces. Both of the parking garages will be open and most of the public lots. The lot in front of the former Piggly Wiggly will be reserved.
For the air show, parking passes are available for purchase. If a pass is purchased, attendees can park on the air field. Additional parking will be available at Fantasy Harbor as well as a shuttle service.
Barricades will be set up in The Market Common in order to control the flow of pedestrian traffic, Crosby said.
Officers from SLED, South Carolina Highway Patrol and Horry County will be on site for safety and traffic measures. Those officers will be inside the show site while Myrtle Beach police will patrol outside of the area.
For additional information over the weekend, Crosby said the department will be posting on their Facebook and Twitter pages. The line 843-918-4636 will be open for questions regarding traffic, parking and directional information. The line will not provide additional event information.
As for flights over the weekend, the airport will be fully operational.
Kirk Lovell, director of air service at the Myrtle Beach International Airport, said that about 10,000 people are expected to travel through the airport this weekend.
Those traveling are encouraged to arrive at the airport two hours prior to their departure time.
"It's going to be a very busy weekend," Lovell said. "We want to ensure arriving and departing passengers have a good experience."
This story was originally published April 25, 2018 at 12:33 PM with the headline "Traffic in Myrtle Beach will be a nightmare this weekend. Here's how to plan.."