Traffic backups at Holmestown and Glenns Bay won’t be easing in 2016

Motorists should not expect to get any relief in 2016 from the traffic congestion that snakes along U.S. 17 Bypass when the light turns red at the Glenns Bay and Holmestown intersection.

The widening and interchange construction project is on time for completion in 2017 and no further lane closures that were experienced during the initial construction are expected, but highway traffic combined with long waits at the red light will continue to frustrate drivers.

“We’re trying to make sure it doesn’t get any worse,” said Travis Patrick, resident construction engineer with the state transportation department.

“It won’t ease until the project’s done,” Patrick said.

The bypass already experiences a heavy volume of traffic and there are so many cars going through the intersection that there is “no other way to ease traffic until we can get it off the signal,” Patrick said.

That won’t occur until the bridge over the bypass is completed.

“We continue to monitor signal times to see if we can adjust it to make traffic work better. The sequences are long, there’s not a whole lot to do,” Patrick said.

“The best we can make it right now with the amount of traffic at the intersection is to continuously look at it to see if changes can be made in seasons of school traffic or summer traffic, to see if timing adjustments need to be made,” Patrick said.

Until then, he advises that motorists find an alternative route – U.S. 17 Business and S.C. 544. He does not advise using S.C. 707, as that route is also undergoing extensive construction until 2018.

Glenns Bay widening is a three-year project with an estimated cost between $75 million and $80 million, and is funded by the penny sales tax that expired in 2015, said Lisa Bourcier, Horry County spokeswoman.

To ultimately ease future congestion, the construction project will create a five-lane highway from Glenns Bay to Spanish Oaks, narrow to four lanes to the entrance of Surfside Beach Club, then three lanes onto U.S. 17 Business.

Contact Hudson at 843-444-1765

Twitter: @AudreyHudson

This story was originally published January 3, 2016 at 1:00 AM with the headline "Traffic backups at Holmestown and Glenns Bay won’t be easing in 2016."