Landscape work closes exit ramps at back gate intersection

Lane closures along the U.S. 17 Bypass back gate interchange could inconvenience drivers this week as landscaping work on the $120 million bridge project gets underway along ramps and the median.

The short-term projects include the northbound shoulder ramp from S.C. 707 to Shetland Lane, which was closed through 5 p.m. Wednesday. On Thursday, the southbound lane from Port Access Road to Palmetto Point Drive will be closed from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m., while that southbound median shoulder will be closed from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Landscaping crews will be laying new sod alongside the roadway -- a project funded by the penny sales tax.

Meanwhile, ongoing landscaping work surrounding the green pergola walkways beneath the bridge are expected to be completed within a month, said Mark Kruea, City of Myrtle Beach spokesman.

Kruea said the metal walkways make the area safer for pedestrians and alert drivers to their presence. Design-wise, the arbor-like structures match the theme set by The Market Common’s pergola.

“We’ve had inquiries from bike riders and people who use motorized wheelchair devices, they are eager for that crossing to be completed so they can get back and forth,” Kruea said.

The elaborate $400,000 underpass landscaping project will require enough fill dirt to sustain plant life. Significant dump truck activity is expected in the area, but no lane closures in the underpass are expected.

The landscaping work continues nearly a year after the $121.7 million bridge opened in October 2014 at an intersection know as the back gate because of its proximity to the back gate of the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. About 70,000 vehicles pass through the intersection daily during peak summer tourism season.

This story was originally published September 30, 2015 at 4:25 PM with the headline "Landscape work closes exit ramps at back gate intersection."