These roads in Beaufort, Bluffton and Hilton Head will close Monday for MLK marches
If you’re driving Monday morning, expect detours as Beaufort County and the City of Savannah hold memorial marches and parades to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday held each year to commemorate the accomplishments of the civil rights leader.
He would have turned 91 years old on Jan. 15, 2020.
Five years before his assassination in Memphis in 1968, Dr. King visited and preached at Second African Baptist Church in Savannah, where he delivered what would become his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
Here are the anticipated road closures for Monday:
Beaufort
In Beaufort, the annual parade starts at 10 a.m.
The parade route follows Rodgers Street, Boundary Street, Carteret Street, Bay Street, Bladen Street and concludes back at Rodgers Street.
The route will be closed to vehicles from 9:45 a.m. until 11:30 a.m., according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Bluffton
Bluffton will hold its 35th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day march on Monday afternoon.
The march begins at 2:30 p.m. at the rear of M.C. Riley Elementary School on Pritchard Street and concludes at Oyster Factory Park.
After the march, a community meal will take place at Oyster Factory Park, according to the event’s Facebook page.
Hilton Head Island
Hilton Head Island’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day memorial march takes place at 10 a.m. at Hilton Head Island High School.
It will begin and end in the Hilton Head Island High School parking lot, which will impact a portion of Wilborn Road.
After the march, a memorial program will begin at the school’s cultural center at 11 a.m.
A fellowship luncheon will follow at 12:30 p.m. at the school’s cafeteria.
Bonus: Savannah
Downtown traffic will be rerouted for several hours for the parade, which begins at 10 a.m. at the intersection of East Broad and Liberty Streets.
The parade travels north on East Broad to Broughton Street, west on Broughton to MLK Jr. Boulevard, and then south on MLK Jr. Boulevard to Anderson Street, where it will disband.
Parade route streets will close to vehicles at 9:45 a.m. Traffic is expected to be impacted until approximately 3 p.m. on parade day.
Posting of “No Parking Zone” notices along the parade route will be completed by the evening of Jan. 17.
Vehicles remaining in the no parking zones after 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 20 will be towed at the owner’s expense.
Vehicles traveling to locations in the City of Savannah north of Broughton Street should enter from either I-516 or President Street. Vehicular traffic will not be able to cross Broughton Street heading north until after the parade has cleared.
