The Barefoot Resort & Golf swing bridge has been
repainted and the goal is to reopen the bridge to at least one lane of vehicle traffic
sometime during the late evening of January 16. However, January 13 wind speeds will
determine whether or not that reopening date can be achieved.
“We are close to nailing the original reopening date,” said North Myrtle Beach Public
Information Officer Pat Dowling. “However, my advice to Barefoot residents, businesses and visitors who need to make travel or delivery plans today is to focus on a January 18 reopening date. We will keep them advised of any changes.”
Once movement to the bridge has been fully restored, one lane will be open to vehicle
traffic for about two days. During that time, steel workers will replace some steel plates located below the road bed, and painters will then paint the new plates. This is necessary because, during the repainting process, it was discovered that the drain pipes that drain the road bed when it rains were too short. For years, storm water has poured out of the drains and on to the steel plates, eroding them to the point where they must be replaced.
The old drain pipes, which may have been original to the bridge or may have been
installed when the bridge was dry-docked and refurbished prior to its installation at
Barefoot Resort & Golf, have been removed and longer drain pipes have been installed.
It was a very large crowd in North Myrtle Beach over the past weekend for the Mid-Winter S O S (Society of Stranders) gathering. Many area hotels and condos were full of shag dancers and beach music fans. Ron Whisnant, President of the SOS, attributes the attendance to an increasing popularity of the gatherings that take place three times each year in the Ocean Drive Section of North Myrtle Beach.
