Countdown Begins For Business 40 Closure Through Downtown Winston-Salem

Following nearly a decade of planning, the countdown finally begins toward the full, 20-month closure of Business 40 in Winston-Salem. Transportation officials are urging residents to be prepared. This week, public meetings on the project will be held at the Old Salem Visitors Center.

The Business 40 improvement project spans a roughly mile-long stretch of highway between U.S. 52 and Peters Creek Parkway. North Carolina Department of Transportation Engineer Pat Ivey says it's essentially a complete rebuild.

“From 4th street on the west side to just short of 52 on the east side of downtown, basically every bridge will be replaced—I think there are nine vehicular bridges,” says Ivey. “All of the pavement will be completely replaced. There will be some ramp changes out there that will be recognized pretty quickly.”

The construction is divided into four segments beginning with the Peters Creek interchange, set to start in October.

“That will be a complete rebuild as well, including a new seven-lane bridge over Business 40,” says Ivey. “New loops, ramps, and improvements to Peters Creek Parkway itself from 1st street all the way down to 4th street.”

After that's completed, the entire 1.2 mile stretch of Business 40 downtown will close in the fall of 2018.

Ivey says public meetings will be held this week to keep citizens updated on this critical corridor.

“We want folks to come in. We want them to look at the maps. Talk to the engineers and our consultants one-on-one about what's going to happen. Ask any questions that you have about the project—traffic, when are the roads going to narrow down, different things like this. And what's coming down the road?”

On Tuesday, September 19, two identical public meetings on the $99.2-million-dollar project will be held at the Old Salem Visitors Center. The first session will run from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., and session two begins at 4 p.m.