Horry County drivers can expect traffic lane changes as US 501 work continues
Drivers along Highway 501 in the Myrtle Beach area can expect traffic changes this month as work continues to widen the busy roadway.
Horry County officials posted an update on the project to widen U.S. 501, adding aerial photos of the road work that shows progress in what will become new outside lanes between Gardner Lacy Road and S.C. 544 in both the northbound and southbound directions.
The RIDE project will continue through the summer as crews shift focus to median drainage installation and the removal of asphalt at crossovers slated for closure, according to a Facebook post from Horry County Government. During this phase, the current inside lanes will be closed, and traffic will shift to the newly constructed outside lanes.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation said this is expected to happen between June 7-11, according to the post. The work will include pavement marking removal, striping, and signal head adjustments.
Additional intermediate surfacing will also be placed at the following intersections in the coming weeks, the post said:
• Cox Ferry Road • University Boulevard • Singleton Ridge Road • Century Circle • Burning Ridge Road • Wild Wing Boulevard.
When completed, Highway 501 from Gardner Lacy Road/Myrtle Ridge Drive to S.C. 544 will be widened from its current four-lane configuration to a six-lane configuration and will include additional turn lane storage capacity and improved geometric alignment at various intersections, according to the SCDOT.
The construction is an effort to ease traffic congestion along the highway which sees hundreds of thousands vehicles travel to and from Conway and Myrtle Beach each year.
