WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WFMY) -- A major stretch of Business 40 in Winston-Salem will be closed for two years. The closing will impact more than 80,000 drivers who travel the stretch daily.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will close the 1.2 mile stretch along Business 40 between Peters Creek Parkway and U.S. 52 area. This starts at 6 A.M. on Saturday, November 17. Starting at 9 P.M. Friday, workers began blocking off lanes with cones, to ease traffic away from Business 40, before the total closure Saturday morning.
Overnight and into the weekend, crews will uncover new signs, cover up old ones, and divert downtown traffic away from the closure. Demolition of some bridges, like the Liberty, Main and Church Street bridges, starts this weekend as well.
All Business 40 traffic will be diverted to I-40, Peters Creek Parkway and U.S. 52, make sure you look for posted detours. Leaders say, planning and patience are the keys to making it through the first couple weeks of the closure.
ALTERNATIVE ROUTES DRIVING FROM GREENSBORO
There will be three alternate routes for people driving from Greensboro to downtown Winston-Salem.
• Take the 5th Street exit all the way downtown
• Take Martin Luther King Jr. Drive exit, then a left onto Marshall Street
• Take exit U.S. 52 to Research Parkway. Stay on Research Parkway until you get to a roundabout, then take Main Street into downtown.
EXPECTED REOPENING OF BUSINESS 40
With construction slated to last for two years, the NCDOT said efforts are underway to reopen the road in early 2020.
CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
The $99.2 million dollar project includes construction of Business 40 and 11 new bridges and includes the following:
• Replacing the existing roadway pavement
• Modernizing entrance and exit ramps
• Replacing nine vehicular bridges and two pedestrian bridges
• Lengthening the acceleration and deceleration lanes between ramps
• Widening existing roadway shoulders and adding new shoulders
• Building portions of a multi-use path from Lockland Avenue to Liberty Street
HOW CAN I GET TRAFFIC INFORMATION?
You can get the latest traffic information by downloading the WFMY News 2 App and click on the Traffic Section.
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You can also download the Waze App recommended by the NCDOT which offers route options.
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