Will Myrtle Beach put up the traffic loop over Memorial Day weekend? Here’s what we know
The controversial 23-mile traffic loop could be enforced in Myrtle Beach if the city can’t handle the thousands of tourists anticipated to pile in for Memorial Day weekend.
While Atlantic Beach Bike Fest, also known as Black Bike Week, has been postponed to Labor Day weekend due to the coronavirus pandemic, officials are expecting large crowds and heavily congested roadways over the holiday, a scene similar to last weekend when the city reopened to tourism but lacked the appropriate enforcement.
This weekend, however, they want to be prepared.
Despite the annual bike event being postponed, the Myrtle Beach Police Department has discussed implementing traffic plans to ensure the safety of both residents and tourists. That plan includes erecting pedestrian barricades along the sidewalks to keep people off the street and having traffic flow one way on Ocean Boulevard.
Traffic will be directed to travel southbound on Ocean Boulevard, with the northbound lane reserved for emergency traffic, City Spokesperson Mark Kruea said.
“We will use the one way traffic lanes on Ocean Boulevard to keep pedestrians safe, to keep traffic flowing and to provide access for emergency vehicles so that they can respond to calls in a timely manner,” Kruea said. “The Police Department, along with additional state and local resources, will be working to provide a safe environment for all of our residents and visitors.”
Police Chief Amy Prock said Monday in an emergency City Council meeting there would be heavy police presence along the boulevard, with over 100 state police officers and 20 assisting officials from local jurisdictions.
However, if the city’s current plan isn’t effective in steering traffic, Kruea said the police department may implement other traffic patterns or management plans to ease congestion, though he wouldn’t explain when asked what those plans would be or if the annual traffic loop is being considered.
In recent years as bikers and tourists sought to spend the holiday in Myrtle Beach, the city would enforce a one-way, 23-mile loop Friday, Saturday and Sunday to control traffic, crowds and to allow for emergency officials to be readily available in the event of dangerous activity.
The loop usually began at 29th Avenue and Ocean Boulevard, moving south to Kings Highway near the Myrtle Beach Airport, up Harrelson Boulevard to U.S. 501, northbound S.C. 31, then southbound on Robert Grissom Parkway to U.S. Highway 17 Bypass, and back onto Ocean Boulevard.
The loop, widely disliked by tourists and residents, would normally be in effect from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday to Sunday, but Ocean Boulevard would remain a one-way road the entire weekend, with several avenues blocked restricting motorists from exiting the Boulevard, unless at a cross street with a traffic light.
With the detour deemed a necessary safety precaution, enforcement of the loop was canceled each night last year based on an evaluation of the current traffic pattern.
If this weekend’s events reflect the chaotic and near-fatal ones that took place this past weekend, City Manager John Pedersen said the city has the authority to enforce a curfew that would require businesses to shutter and visitors to retreat to their hotels if circumstances require it.
Pedersen also asked council officials on Monday to support an executive order that would suspend all golf cart and moped operations for 72 hours over the weekend. Social distancing and hygiene recommendations are still advised to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Pedersen urged.
“What we’d like to request from our residents and guests is that you still be mindful that we’re still in this pandemic and continue social distancing,” Pedersen said Monday. “Particularly for our residents, we anticipate that Ocean Boulevard is going to be extremely heavily traveled and we strongly suggest not traveling on Ocean Boulevard unless you need to.”
This story was originally published May 20, 2020 at 8:00 AM.
