‘We want your feedback’: Myrtle Beach hosting forum on transportation improvements along Ocean Boulevard

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - You have the chance to share your thoughts on how to make transportation on Ocean Boulevard safer.

The city of Myrtle Beach is hosting an Ocean Boulevard Transportation Study Public Information Forum on Tuesday night and your voice could be the main ingredient for change.

Myrtle Beach leaders have been looking at ways transportation can be improved along Ocean Boulevard for everyone including pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers. Specifically for the roadway area between 31st Avenue North and South Kings Highway.

“In order to make Ocean Boulevard safer for our visitors and our people who live here, we started a study in January that’s going to end in August,” said Meredith Helline, assistant director of public information for the city of Myrtle Beach. “And we also did a road safety audit on March 1 and March 2. The engineers who helped with that audit are going to be presenting their findings for the first time during tomorrow’s forum.”

Helline said this is way to make sure the busy roadway is even safer for everyone.

“This is also a precursor to the 501 realignment. How we can make that safer, make it easier for drivers, [such as] the signs we can put up to help people get to where they want to go faster, easier, safer, this all goes together,” Helline said.

But Helline said this forum is also a chance for your voice to be heard because your feed back and input is needed as part of the transportation study.

“The people who attend will be able to do breakout groups. We want your feedback because no one knows your neighborhood better than yourself. We can take this feedback, give it back to our engineers and hopefully turn it into action,” Helline said.

City leaders said the results from this larger Ocean Boulevard Transportation Study will help them determine what type of capital projects need to be done on Ocean Boulevard for years to come.

The public information forum will be taking place tomorrow from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Ground Zero which is located at 904 Chester Street in Myrtle Beach.

The Road Safety Audit also included help from several organizations, including the city’s police and fire departments, public works planning/zoning departments, bike & pedestrian committee, SCDOT, Waccamaw Council of Governments/GSATS reps and the transportation consultant, Stantec.

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