The South Carolina Department of Transportation started work in mid-September on five intersections along U.S. 17 South in North Myrtle Beach. Crews work mostly overnight. The city says to expect delays and temporary road closures between about 7 PM and 7 AM in active work areas. The five intersections are 46th Avenue South, Windy Hill Road, 37th Avenue South, 33rd Avenue South and 27th Avenue South. The city expects the work to be done by June 2027. SCDOT's bid documents set the completion date at June 30, 2027.
The cones and evening backups will end. Some of the new concrete will stay. The project adds concrete medians "in areas with high frequency of angle crashes," according to the city. After June 2027, those medians will set which side of the highway you can turn in from at your regular stops. The night closures last about nine months. The new turning routes are permanent.
The Work Shift Starts at Dinnertime
The 7 PM start puts the work right on top of the busiest part of the evening on this stretch. One of the newest places on the corridor opened two days after the city's announcement. Alley Oops opened September 18 at 3607 U.S. Highway 17 South, about a block from the 37th Avenue South intersection. The 25,000-square-foot building is the fourth location for the Ocean City, Maryland, brand. It has 12 full-size duckpin bowling lanes, a 25-foot aquarium with blacktip sharks, an 18-hole putting range and a menu heavy on Maryland-style steam pots and crab cakes, as the Post and Courier reported.
Here are the hours for the corridor's evening stops as posted on October 4, 2026. Each one runs past the crews' 7 PM start:
| Stop | Address | Nearest work zone | Posted hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alley Oops | 3607 Hwy 17 S | 37th Avenue South | Open until midnight daily. Kitchen closes 9 PM Sun–Thu, 10 PM Fri–Sat |
| Klig's Kites | 4505 Hwy 17 S | 46th Avenue South | 10 AM–8 PM daily, per the store's site |
| LuLu's North Myrtle Beach | 4954 Hwy 17 S, Barefoot Landing | South of 46th Avenue South | 11 AM–9 PM daily |
Two times in that table matter most. Alley Oops' kitchen closes at 9 PM on weeknights. That means a weeknight dinner there happens almost entirely during work hours. LuLu's sits at Barefoot Landing, south of the 46th Avenue South intersection. Anyone coming from Windy Hill or Crescent Beach for a 7:30 dinner reservation drives through at least one active zone. Klig's Kites lists 10 AM to 8 PM on its own contact page, but its Google profile shows longer hours. If you're planning an evening stop there, call ahead.
810 Billiards & Bowling, at 1105 Hwy 17 S, is north of 27th Avenue South, outside the five intersections. For anyone already north of the project, it's the one bowling option on this list that doesn't require driving through a work zone at night.
The First Median Is Already Changing How People Turn In
WMBF reported that work began on a Monday in mid-September. By September 17, Lauren Kligman of Klig's Kites was already describing a new layout in front of her store. "With a median now in front of Klig's Kites," she told WMBF, southbound drivers now have to make a U-turn instead of turning straight into the lot as they used to.
She described the problem plainly. "I'm worried that someone's going to see the business and then they're like 'Okay, where do we turn?' and they keep going," Kligman said. She also told WMBF the store stays open past 7 PM, when crews start working on the road in front of it. Her overall view of the project was "It's a good idea but wrong timing and wrong place."
The Klig's example is useful because it is specific. Kligman expects the 7 PM traffic to fade with the off-season, but the median and the U-turn it requires stay after the crews leave. For anyone heading south from Windy Hill to 45th Avenue South, getting to Klig's now takes a loop.
SCDOT's contract adds more detail. The bid documents list the job as "Safety Improvements/RSA US 17 (MP 23.5 - 26.04)." The bid includes 14 new three-section vehicle signal heads, 10 pedestrian countdown signal heads, 17 pedestrian pushbuttons and one "NO RT/LT TURN" symbol blankout signal. A blankout sign lights up only when a turn is restricted, so at least one location on the corridor will ban turns at certain times. The bid documents don't say which intersection gets it.
The full median layout hasn't been published. The city's notice and the SCDOT bid tabulation don't say where the medians will run or which median openings will close. WMBF's report names one location, in front of Klig's Kites, but gives no corridor-wide list of affected driveways. The Klig's median is the only confirmed driveway change so far. Others may come, but no published source says where.
27th Avenue South Has a Second Project Through January
The north end of the project overlaps with a separate city project. In August, North Myrtle Beach announced that Phase 2 of its 30-Inch Water Transmission Line Project would start before the end of August near 27th Avenue South and Madison Drive. Crews are laying the line underground toward a tie-in point near 32nd Avenue South. The city says to expect lane closures and detours along the route, with work continuing through January 2027.
That puts two projects on the same few blocks this fall and winter. SCDOT is working overnight at the 27th and 33rd Avenue South intersections. The water line runs between those same cross streets, close to the highway. The city's notice doesn't list daily work hours for the water line, so it could cause detours outside the 7 PM to 7 AM window. The water work has a firm end. Once Phase 2 is done, the city says the entire transmission line project will be complete. After January, the SCDOT work will be the only construction left between 27th and 32nd Avenue South.
The city expects the water line to "increase the resiliency and reliability of the City's public water system." After this phase, the line is finished and the street stays as it was. The highway project is the one that permanently changes how you drive these blocks.
What to Keep Handy Until June
The intersection-by-intersection details haven't been published, so it helps to know what is confirmed and where to ask:
- Work zones. U.S. 17 at 46th Avenue South, Windy Hill Road, 37th Avenue South, 33rd Avenue South and 27th Avenue South.
- Hours to expect delays. Roughly 7 PM to 7 AM in active areas.
- What's being built. Concrete medians, ADA-compliant pedestrian ramps, crosswalks, countdown pedestrian signals and upgraded traffic signals.
- Questions about a specific turn or driveway. Call 1-855-GO-SCDOT (1-855-467-2368) and give Project ID P037887.
- Water line detours near 27th to 32nd Avenue South. Through January 2027.
The project ID is the most useful item on that list. If you're wondering whether the left turn into your usual stop will survive, SCDOT's line is the one place that has the plan sheets. A city notice won't answer it.
A road project with a June 2027 finish date can sound like a nine-month inconvenience. On this stretch, the more lasting change is the medians. They will decide how you get from Windy Hill to Alley Oops, from Crescent Beach to Klig's, and from 27th Avenue South to dinner at Barefoot Landing long after the night crews are gone.
At Modern Fortress, we follow details like median openings and turn restrictions because they affect what it's like to own on the Highway 17 corridor every day. If you'd like to see how a south-end North Myrtle Beach location works at street level, call or text us to Schedule Your Private Tour.
