Myrtle Beach area roads closing for Memorial Day weekend. Where to avoid traveling
Memorial Day weekend is upcoming, and with it brings to the Grand Strand people ready to take their first beach vacation of the summer season.
In addition to regular beach goers, many people will also be in town for the Atlantic Beach Memorial Day Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival.
That means roadways will become overcrowded. To help alleviate the traffic, Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach have announced plans for detours and road closures.
Here’s what changes will be made to traffic for the Grand Strand’s two largest beaches.
Myrtle Beach
Starting Friday at 6 a.m., drivers in Myrtle Beach will only be able to use the southbound lanes on Ocean Boulevard between 29th Avenue North and South Kings Highway.
Drivers will be unable to cut through to Ocean Boulevard using Chester Street, Withers Drive and Yaupon Drive.
Drivers may access southbound Ocean Boulevard from Kings Highway at signalized intersections located at: • 21st Avenue North • Mr. Joe White Avenue • Ninth Avenue North • Third Avenue South • Ninth Avenue South • 13th Avenue South • 19th Avenue South • 25th Avenue South • 29th Avenue.
Pedestrians will still be able to walk along Ocean Boulevard, according to a Facebook post from Myrtle Beach Police Department.
The traffic pattern will be in place until Monday at 6 a.m.
North Myrtle Beach
The City of North Myrtle Beach is implementing a traffic chute and is closing side streets in the Atlantic Beach area, starting Thursday night into Friday morning.
The chute will help direct people into Atlantic Beach, who are there for the festival.
The chute will start around 37th Avenue South on Highway 17 and end around 27th Avenue South on Highway 17. For people heading North on the highway, the far right lane will be blocked off with barricades, North Myrtle Beach Police Lt. Charlie Diez said during the city’s planning commission meeting on Tuesday.
Drivers who get into the barricaded area at 37th Avenue South will have to go down into Atlantic Beach, loop through the area and exit around 27th Avenue South.
The goal is to separate festival traffic from regular traffic, Diez said.
“If you’re not looking to go to the festival, stay in the left-hand lanes, and you’ll be good to go,” Diez said.
As for the road closures, most of the side streets between Ocean Boulevard and Highway 17 will be closed to through traffic. Around 27th Avenue South, some of the streets will have barricades preventing cars from entering some of those streets.
Both the chute and the street closures will be lifted starting Monday.
