A South Carolina bridge will open less often to test if traffic gets better

The US Coast Guard is temporarily changing how often a drawbridge opens in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This means drivers will wait less for boats, but boats might wait longer for the bridge to open.

Local governments often struggle to balance the needs of road traffic and waterway traffic. This temporary change is a real-world experiment to see if reducing bridge openings actually helps vehicle congestion. If it works, other busy drawbridges might adopt similar schedules.