Roofing company in Garden City, SC

GARDEN CITY, SC (WMBF) - Horry County is partnering with local organizations on a five-phase streetscape project designed to reduce flooding and improve infrastructure in Garden City.

Knee-deep water flooding streets, homes and businesses is common during storms or high king tides in Garden City, according to community members.

The project, currently in the permitting phase, addresses drainage issues, reduces the impact of high tides and improves water quality. It also moves overhead utilities underground and adds sidewalks to the community.

Phase one covers Waccamaw Drive from the Georgetown County line to Magnolia Avenue. It also includes Atlantic Avenue from Waccamaw Drive to the marsh.

Construction workers Sam Moore and Corey Mote described problems caused by poor drainage that they repair throughout the year.

“More foundation, so where the water comes in the sand settles and gets loose, so you have a post that just sinks in,” Mote said. “And some floors will rot, people will fall through the floors, we’ll have to fix that, and then mold is a big issue, because water gets into the dry wall and sheet rock.”

Moore said the community deserves better infrastructure.

“If we can get the problem fixed, let’s get the problem fixed,” he said.

Once finished, residents and visitors will see brighter street lights, more parking, new crosswalks at major intersections and fresh asphalt on Waccamaw Drive.

Consultants for Santee Cooper and Horry County are reaching out to homeowners and businesses for easements for the project along South Waccamaw Drive, South Dogwood Drive, Atlantic Avenue, Magnolia Avenue, Azalea Avenue and Holly Avenue.

Property owners in these areas can expect contact by mail or phone with more details.

After the southern part of Waccamaw Drive is completed, phase two begins from Magnolia Avenue to Cypress Avenue.

Eventually, similar improvements will stretch north to Melody Lane.

A county spokesperson said they are unsure when the entire project will be complete since it is only in the first phase.

For more information, click here.

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GARDEN CITY, SC (WMBF) - For over a year, residents within the Garden City area have expressed concerns regarding the safety of the Cypress Avenue Bridge.

RELATED: ‘It needs to be fixed’: Concerns grow over the condition of South Strand bridge

After a routine inspection took place, the South Carolina Department of Transportation determined that the bridge needs to be reconstructed.

This led to the announcement that SCDOT will be closing the bridge beginning on Nov. 3rd.

With the closure, it has left much uncertainty for residents, and they are concerned about their streets.

“I’m concerned with the traffic when they close that bridge for an extended period of time,” said Robert Withall, Garden City Resident. “People are going to turn on the road I live on that says no outlet, and people keep just keep turning in here and coming back out,”

However, Withall adds that he has lived in the neighborhood for years, and he believes reconstruction was necessary regarding safety, which is the top reason for the closure, according to Hannah Robinson, SCDOT media relations manager.

“Safety is our number one priority,” Robinson says. “Anytime that a bridge is a safety concern, we shut it down immediately, and people can rest assured we are paying attention to these bridges, and this bridge is going to be replaced so it doesn’t further become an issue.”

As the closure officially begins, Robinson says detours will be posted, and workers will be on scene to help watch the traffic flow. However, they are asking residents to be prepared.

“Plan your route ahead. If you know that the first few days of that detour, you may see some traffic that’s more than usual. I would say maybe leave a little bit earlier or use a different route,” said Robinson

Robinson adds that the bridge is expected to be reopened by the Spring of 2026.

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GARDEN CITY, S.C. (WBTW) — One bar owner is still recovering from the high tides and heavy rain this past weekend in Garden City.

However, The Bar’s owner and regular patrons say the storm did not dampen their good time.

Working in the business for roughly 14 years, Margie Lambert said the weekend’s high tides took her completely by surprise, making her have to act quickly to push out the water that flooded the entire floor inside the bar.

“Friday, it was probably about 10 inches inside of the bar,” she said. “It was pretty bad. Like I said, we’ve never had a king tide that high before.”

Lambert says the weekend’s storm took a team effort to push all of the water out of The Bar’s doors in just two hours. She said by Saturday, there was still flooding, but not nearly as bad.

Locals say despite the rain, they still made their way in for a drink, with water going up to their ankles in some cases. Lines on the walls also showed where water crept in, as well as the cement floors still showing signs of water damage.

Lambert called the whole ordeal frustrating, but she’s thankful she was able to bounce back to business quickly.

“Normally, you know, if it does come into the bar, it might be maybe three or four inches or something like that. But this one was really, really rough,” she said. “You can’t fight Mother Nature. All you can do is just try to clean it back up and go back, and it is all you can do.”

Lambert says the flooding ruined the fan motor in her beer cooler, which cost $200 to fix. Although not a huge expense, she said it’s a reminder of needing to stay prepared for unexpected storms.

Gabby Jonas joined the News13 team as a multimedia journalist in April 2024. She is from Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Kent State University in May 2023. Follow Gabby on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, and read more of her work here.

Brings a whole different meaning to the term “watering hole.”

I could have made a “dive bar” joke too. Though flooding is no joke, there’s really endless, comedic opportunities for a bar that’s flooded. This bar creatively named “The Bar” in Garden City, South Carolina is the focus of this story, and recently had a couple feet of water rush into their establishment.

But that didn’t stop them from conducting business as usual.

“The Bar” in Garden City seems like a wonderful place. There’s not a lot of things in life that won’t ever let you down. This South Carolina watering hole doesn’t appear to ever let down its customers, and describes itself as this:

“Our sandy version of ‘Cheers.’ Garden City’s best kept secret and coldest beer.”

Say less.

South Carolina’s coast got hit with some nasty storms and heavy rain over the weekend. A nor’easter, as they call it, brought tons of rain to the state (and the East Coast) and resulted in coastal flooding. Any low points near the ocean were susceptible to rising waters, and The Bar in Garden City was one of the many places that got hit and had water rush into their building.

Most of the time, the national weather service will put out a statement like “stay home, only get out if you absolutely need to” when flash flooding hits an area. Is going down to your favorite dive bar during a flood considered an “emergency?” Depends on who you ask. If these people were questioned, they’d say that they had to fight the flood waters to get to the coldest beer in Garden City, South Carolina.

The images from the night, which were shared by Meteorologist Eric Graves, are simply hilarious:

“Water came into the restaurant this afternoon in Garden City, SC. Didn’t stop people from coming in.”

I also have to point out a very important detail in the photos… yes, that is Wii Bowling up on one of the television screens. That’s how I knew these pictures weren’t made by artificial intelligence. Only a dive bar like “The Bar” in South Carolina would have a Wii hooked up for bar patrons to enjoy.

And that they did. Someone evidently fired up some Wii Sports while they were wading around in the watering hole, drinking alcohol, and not having a care in the world about the flooding that impacted the area. There’s just something truly beautiful and wholesome about that, is there not?

The comment section of the post was rather entertaining too. Here are just a few of the funnier messages that people left behind on the post about the flooded bar:

“Yeah what’s a little sewage floating by while you’re tipping a tall one?”

“Beer is still cold, that’s all that matters.”

“Until that water hits my a** sitting on a bar stool I wouldn’t be going anywhere.”

“Great place to break out the Crocs.”

“No wind, flood or hurricane will stop me from having my beer.”

“Catching a buzz hell or high water.”

That last comment probably takes the cake…

GARDEN CITY, S.C. (WBTW) — King tides are once again flooding streets in Garden City and Murrells Inlet this week, creating problems for neighbors and drivers.

King tides, which happen a few times a year, is when orbits of the Earth, moon and sun combine to produce high tidal impacts.

The Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire District posted on Facebook earlier this week, reminding residents to stay alert and avoid flooded areas if possible. Officials say even shallow water can be dangerous.

For one resident who has lived in the neighborhood for 14 years, Jay Campbell, the flooding is nothing special. Campbell says there is more to the flooding than the king tides and that it’s not something residents should have to accept.

“Look, if it’s a hurricane, I get it, the ocean is going to meet the marsh,” he said. “It’s part of the deal that you sign up for when you live here. But this is not part of the deal.”

Campbell said unmaintained drains and a lack of check valves are the problem.

“Every time it floods, or every time the tides come in and they’re high tides, the water comes straight up through the drains and right onto the road first,” he said.

According to Campbell, North Dogwood Drive is a state road, although the county is responsible for the drainage. News13 reached out to both the South Carolina Department of Transportation and Horry County officials to clarify who is responsible and whether there are plans for improvements.

An Horry County spokesperson responded with a statement, saying in part that “storm drains are not designed nor intended to manage tidal waters during king tide events.”

The highest tides of the week are expected Thursday morning.

Jordan Titus is a multimedia journalist and producer at News13. She joined the team in April 2025. Jordan is from Morristown, New Jersey, and moved to the Myrtle Beach area in 2020 and attended Coastal Carolina University. You can read more of her work here.