Historic Socastee

Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway

A portion of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway runs through Horry County from the North Carolina / South Carolina state line and flows into the Waccamaw River at Enterprise Landing. The Socastee portion is part of a 24 mile cut made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to connect the Little River and Socastee Creek. Completed in 1936, the Waterway is 90 feet in width, 12 feet deep and approximately 30 miles long. It is the longest man-made ditch in the entire length of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. As roads were slow to be developed and paved, the Waterway added a much-needed dimension to the transportation in the area. Today, it is primarily used for recreation craft and as a protected means of transporting larger craft back and forth between Maine and Florida. The Socastee Swing Bridge crosses the Waterway on Secondary Road 616.