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U.S. 501 Business Bridge had more rust than expected. Will it affect the reopening date?

By Tyler Fleming

February 12, 2019 05:23 PM

Conway bridge closes for 3 months for repair

The U.S.501 Business bridge over the Waccamaw River at Conway was closed today and will remain closed for about three months. The S.C. Department of Transportation is making repairs on the bridge to increase it's lifespan. Jan. 7, 2018.
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The U.S.501 Business bridge over the Waccamaw River at Conway was closed today and will remain closed for about three months. The S.C. Department of Transportation is making repairs on the bridge to increase it's lifespan. Jan. 7, 2018.
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The U.S. 501 Business bridge over the Waccamaw River could be closed even longer.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation told The Sun News’ partner WPDE that more rust was found on the bridge, so construction could take longer than expected. While a new opening date has not been decided, the bridge has to be open by Memorial Day Weekend, according to the TV station.

The bridge was scheduled to reopen in March. The SCDOT website still says the detour is expected to end in March, but says the construction completion date is June 30.

City of Conway Spokesperson Taylor Newell said she doesn’t have any information on the bridge closing and doesn’t expect an update until the next City Council meeting. Representatives from SCDOT are expected to present to City Council at Monday’s regularly scheduled meeting.

Built in 1938, fixing up the aging bridge in order to extend its longevity was the primary purpose of the SCDOT project. The bridge originally closed at the beginning of January, with traffic being directed toward U.S. 501 Bypass as a detour.

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Tyler Fleming

Development and Horry County reporter Tyler Fleming joined The Sun News in May of 2018. He covers other stuff too, like reporting on beer, bears, breaking news and Coastal Carolina University. He graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2018 and was the 2017-18 editor-in-chief of The Daily Tar Heel. He has won (and lost) several college journalism awards.

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