A flood barrier will now be built on U.S. 17. See where the road is expected to close

Another temporary flood barrier will be constructed to keep a road open as long as possible along the Grand Strand, this one on U.S. 17 in Georgetown County.

The protective barrier will be built to fend off flood waters from the road between two bridges that cross the Waccamaw River and connect Georgetown to the Waccamaw Neck in the Pawleys Island area.

The project is similar to the construction of temporary barriers on U.S. 378 and U.S. 501 in the Conway area.

The plan was developed by the Georgetown County Emergency Management, South Carolina Department of Transportation and the S.C. National Guard.

Despite the barriers, water is still expected to flood the roadway and require the closure of the area around the bridges to traffic as early as the middle of next week.

In order to implement the plan, U.S. 17 will be reduced to one lane of travel in each direction in the area of construction beginning Sunday. Heavy congestion and long delays are expected, and caution is urged for motorists traveling through the work zone.

This story was originally published September 21, 2018 at 9:18 PM.