MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The City of Myrtle Beach has received permission from the South Carolina Department of Transportation to temporarily close the median cross over 17 Bypass to Shetland Lane, giving city officials the green light to close Fred Nash Boulevard, again.
After a delay and a meeting of Myrtle Beach City officials, plans to close Fred Nash Boulevard for 90 days were set to resume Wednesday morning at 9 a.m., but the city delayed that action until the Shetland Lane crossover closure had been approved.
The Fred Nash Boulevard closure will begin Thursday morning at 9 a.m., at which time drivers will be prohibited from traveling between Farrow Parkway and Emory Road.
Myrtle Beach City Spokesman Mark Kruea says the temporary closure of the median cut will require the use of some 250 orange “jersey” barriers, which will be filled with water. As before, drivers who wish to access Shetland Lane, Emory Road and the remaining portion of Fred Nash Boulevard may make a right-hand turn onto Shetland from northbound US 17.
Kruea says the city wanted to do the road and median closure at the same time to make it a safer transition.
Southbound drivers will now be forced to make a u-turn under the Farrow Parkway interchange and head northbound on US 17 to Shetland. Drivers exiting Shetland onto US 17 will be able to make a right-hand turn and then use the Harrelson Boulevard overpass to reverse direction and head south-bound on US 17, Kruea instructs.
Fred Nash Boulevard at Farrow Parkway is expected to be closed for up to 90 days to install utility lines and a traffic circle.
As part of SCDOT’s approval, traffic exiting Lauderdale Bay on the west side of the 17 Bypass will be able to turn right only. Northbound US 17 traffic will still be able to make a left-hand turn into Lauderdale Bay, according to the SCDOT’s permission.
