Lanes of Conway bridge to close, affecting traffic. Here’s when the work begins

Lanes of U.S. 501 will be temporarily closed for overnight road work on a Conway bridge beginning this weekend.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation will be working on routine inspections of the U.S. 501 bridge over the Waccamaw River from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. May 18 through 21.

Drivers may avoid the road work traffic by taking the U.S. 501 Business route.

The U.S. 501 bridge over Waccamaw is one of Horry County’s 18 bridges in poor condition, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

The FHA estimates that this 66-year-old bridge averaged more than 54,000 cars and 3,400 trucks driving on it every day in 2024.

Bridges are inspected and rated based on the bridge’s strength and structural integrity on a yearly basis and given a rating out of 9 known as the National Bridge Inventory rating.

The U.S. 501 bridge over the Waccamaw has had a 4 out of 9 NBI rating since 2023.

SCDOT was not available for comment on if there were plans to repair or replace the bridge.