Road work set for US 501, busy streets in Myrtle Beach. Here’s what drivers can expect
Horry County is in line for more than two dozen locally and state-backed projects to bring new sidewalks, safer intersections, better lighting and improved traffic flow into the region over the next several years.
Plans call for upgrades along U.S. highways 501 and 17, the Carolina Bays Parkway and S.C. 9, among others.
Here’s a glimpse at some of the major proposals on tap, along with estimated completion dates. Traffic delays, detours and other information on potential disruptions as work commences are displayed at job sites.
Funding for projects comes from a variety of sources, including a voter-approved penny sales tax for infrastructure or via the state’s portion of the Federal Highway Safety Improvement Program, which was $45 million last year.
The Palmetto State’s notoriously dangerous roads have the state pegged as the second most lethal to drive in, logging 1,064 total traffic deaths in 2020, according to information published in March by the Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
A stretch of Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach to receive upgrades
An 18-month construction window slated to begin next year would bring major upgrades from 29th Avenue S. to 27th Avenue N. in Myrtle Beach. State transportation officials say property negotiations have already begun, with work expected to launch some time next year.
Once completed, the improvements would include:
- New concrete medians in areas with a high rate of angle collisions
- ADA compliant pedestrian ramps, crosswalks and countdown signals
- Upgraded traffic signals
- New sidewalks
A cluster of upgrades on busy Myrtle Beach streets could be done by next year
The work on Mr. Joe White Avenue, 21st Avenue and at two intersections along U.S. 501 — all expected to be concluded some time in 2024 — is projected to dramatically cut down on crashes while giving cyclists and pedestrians safer passage as they traverse through the city’s heart.
Cost estimates for the projects weren’t immediately known, but they’ll be covered through the state Department of Transportation’s share of federal aid.
Between 2013 and 2020, more than 500 crashes were recorded from Mr. Joe White Avenue at U.S. 17 to U.S. 17 Business, which feeds into North Ocean Boulevard, while 21st Avenue from the same location saw 449.
Along both Mr. Joe White and 21st avenues, plans call for higher visibility crosswalks, longer pedestrian intervals at crosswalks, bike lane signals and other new pavement markings.
State transportation planners are also focusing on two intersections along U.S. 501, at Cannon Road and 3rd Avenue South, where more than 100 crashes combined have occurred since 2014.
Officials are hopeful that creating a “reduced conflict intersection” on Cannon Road while installing a southbound U-turn lane on 3rd Avenue would make each thoroughfare much safer, reducing crash potentials by 75% and 17%.
A crash-prone U.S. 501 intersection is getting a major face lift
The realignment of U.S. 501 at Cannon Road is expected to dramatically reduce collisions. Between 2014 and 2018, the intersection logged 84 total crashes, with half involving an injury.
Planned upgrades include:
- Allowing more U-turn traffic off Cannon Road
- Recalibration of the U.S. 501 intersection with 3rd Avenue S.
- Installation of a center median
Engineers say the plan will virtually halve the number of conflict points along the area from 32 now to 18. Construction is now under way and is expected to run into early 2024.