What local law enforcement agencies are planning in preparation for Tybee Island influx
Public safety officials are gearing up for the weekend, when crowds are expected to arrive at Tybee Island for what is known as Orange Crush weekend.
Ranging from alternate traffic patterns to parking lot closures, efforts are being made to mitigate the effects from the large influx, including potential traffic accidents, road rage, alcohol abuse, noise, litter and more. Tybee Island officials have spent around $215,000 in preparation.
On the state level, Gov. Brian Kemp recently signed a bill, authored by state Sen. Ben Watson (R-Savannah), which would hold event organizers and promoters financially responsible for public events thrown without a permit in the state of Georgia.
Orange Crush used to be an event sponsored by Savannah State University for the third weekend in April, however, it has gone decades as being Tybee's largest unpermitted event, drawing a crowd of 111,000 people over the course of three days last year.
Both Tybee Island officials and the Chatham County Police Department have made plans to deal with the expected number of people and the related traffic.
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Tybee Island officials have set up restrictive access to the beach between April 16-21 including:
Barricades on Butler Avenue will prohibit on-street parking, beginning April 16.
There will be a road safety checkpoint on April 19 going into Tybee.
No on-street parking will be available on Butler Avenue from Second Street to Tybrisa Street.
14th and 15th Street Parking Lots will be closed.
16th Street Parking Lot will be reserved for City of Tybee Island Parking Decals only
Illegally parked vehicles on public property will be towed to the 15th Street parking lot.
An emergency lane will be designated on U.S. Hwy. 80 for First Responder vehicles only
Traffic protocols will be enforced with strategically placed barricades along Butler Avenue to manage the flow efficiently.
Side street entrances on the western side of Butler Avenue will be closed from Lovell Avenue onwards.
Access to Lewis, Miller and Second avenues will be blocked from the Hwy. 80 entrance.
No turns east onto 14th, 15th or Tybrisa Street from Butler Avenue (Residents: Eastbound access available on 14th and 15th Streets)
The Chatham County Police Department has also made traffic plans for U.S. 80 for April 19-21, as shared on their Facebook.
“Our goal this weekend is to make sure everyone traveling on Highway 80 gets to their destination safely, and with as few delays as possible given the thousands of additional cars expected to be on the roadway,” said Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley in the post.
CCPD will use the same staffing model used during hurricanes to make sure the maximum number of police officers are on duty through the weekend and able to patrol Highway 80 and surround areas and able to respond to calls coming from other parts of the county
They will be stationed strategically along Hwy 80 to assist with traffic flow and to be able to arrive quickly in the event of an accident or another emergency response
Officers will heavily patrol neighborhoods on Whitemarsh, Wilmington, and Talahi Islands and will be focused on traffic flow, while ensuring that state laws and local ordinances are followed. There is no plan to block off access to any neighborhoods or residential streets.
CCPD's specialized units will also be prepared to respond to emergencies, if necessary. This includes the Department’s Marine Patrol, Aviation and K9 Units, as well as Forensic Drone Operators.
Destini Ambus is the general assignment reporter for Chatham County municipalities for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at dambus@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Orange Crush 2024: Blocked parking lots, roads, law enforcement plans
