Planners Still Hopeful About Business 40 Project

A major Triad road project did not make the cut in the state's first round of highway improvement projects.

But local officials are still optimistic that it will be approved when a second round of projects is announced in December.

The project would completely revamp Business 40 between Fourth and Church streets in downtown Winston-Salem. Pat Ivey is a division engineer for the N.C. Department of Transportation. He says the first round of priorities focused on major interstate projects from across the state. Ivey calls the Business 40 improvements more of a regional project. 

Ivey believes this project should be much more competitive against smaller, local road work. According to him, anticipated improvements on this section of Business 40 will make it safer and easier to navigate.

These changes would also decrease the number of interchanges from five to three. Ivey believes there's still a good chance the project will begin as scheduled in May of 2016.

The Business 40 improvements are scheduled to take four years. For about two years the mile-long stretch would be completely closed. Ivey says the total cost is expected to be about $65 million. 

The DOT has developed a Web site that contains maps and other information about the proposed roadwork.