City of Myrtle Beach will not use traffic loop for Memorial Day Weekend

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) – There will be one thing missing from Memorial Day Weekend this year: a traffic loop.

Myrtle Beach Police Department announced during Tuesday’s city council meeting that a traffic loop will not be utilized this year.

The 23-mile loop was first put in place in 2015 to prevent gridlock and make way for first responders as thousands of tourists and bikers filled the city. The loop was not in place last year due to the pandemic.

The traffic loop was at the center of a lawsuit that was filed by the NAACP in February 2018, where the group accused the city and the police department of implementing policies that discriminate against the mostly African American attendees that come to Myrtle Beach for the Atlantic Beach Bikefest. The city said the bike loop was put in place to create a safer environment.

Myrtle Beach police said it will still have a traffic plan in place for this year’s Memorial Day weekend to help clear congestion from specific areas.