Beginning Monday, November 14th, the Barefoot Resort Swing Bridge in North Myrtle Beach will operate with one lane open until November 28th. The contracters will use this time period to prepare the bridge for repairs. On November29th, the Barefoot Bridge will close completely to vehicle traffic. Water traffic will continue as usual.
The Barefoot Resort Bridge is used by most visitors and residents to gain entry into the Barefoot Resort community. Besides homeowners, many visitors use the bridge to access the popular golf courses located within the North Myrtle Beach resort. The Dye, Love, Fazio and Greg Norman courses are all inside Barefoot Resort. It is not known yet how the bridge closing will influence the golf course business.
Restaurants located in the Barefoot Resort could also be touched by the bridge closing. The Barefoot Resort Bar and Grille and Docksider’s Grille are both popular eateries situated inside the resort area.
Barefoot Resort residents have different views regarding the bridge repairs. Some just want the repairs to be done and know they are necessary for the safety of the bridge. North Myrtle Beach has delayed the project as long as possible. The city officials say the time has come to act. Many residents are upset with the bridge closing and view the repairs as an inconvenience.The Barefoot Bridge is the quickest way to reach Highway 17, where shopping centers and Barefoot Landing is located. A five minute drive will now take longer, depending on their destination.
While the repairs are being done, the Barefoot Resort can be accessed by Highway 31 via Watertower Road. The Watertower Road route was completed after the hugh wildfire that devastated the Barefoot community and stressed the need for another way out of Barefoot Resort.
For those not familiar with the Myrtle Beach area, the Barefoot Resort Swing Bridge was brought to North Myrtle Beach from North Carolina and constructed over the intracoastal waterway.