US 501 bridge repairs begin Wednesday in Conway. How long will road work affect traffic?
The South Carolina Department of Transportation will begin repairing approximately 50 feet of a guardrail on the Waccamaw River Memorial Bridge in Conway at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
The work is expected to continue through Friday and the outside northbound lane going into Conway will be closed while the work is completed, according to Pete Poore, the agency’s director of communications.
The bridge was damaged when a tractor-trailer drove off the side Thursday and plummeted to the swamp below, adjacent to the river. SCDOT made temporary repairs to the bridge Thursday night, but permanent repairs are needed.
SCDOT urges all motorists to use extra caution while driving through this work zone and follow all directional signs and speed limits.
A crane removed the truck Friday morning. Northbound traffic into Conway was completely blocked off while the truck and debris was being removed, and northbound traffic was limited to one lane thereafter Friday. Traffic was backed up beyond the entrance to Coastal Carolina University on U.S. 501 North after one lane reopened.
The truck drove through a concrete barrier, and pieces of concrete were in the roadway and hanging off the bridge following the crash on Thursday.
The driver was taken to a local hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, and the SC Highway Patrol charged the driver with the moving violation of driving too fast for conditions.
Several agencies responded to the crash on Thursday including the Conway Police Department, Conway Fire Rescue, Horry County Fire Rescue and the S.C. Highway Patrol.
This story was originally published November 13, 2020 at 12:35 PM.
