It’s finally here.

This is the anticipated closing that is going to transform the view of every motorist that comes to Winston Salem along Business 40.  Gone will be the days of wondering if a truck has hit one of the bridges, gone will be the days of the bumpy ride, gone will be the short acceleration and deceleration lanes, gone will be the lack of shoulders to pull off on, and gone will be the days of memorizing that new pothole location.  Business 40 isn’t just getting a facelift, the corridor is going to be completely redesigned and modernized.  And the biggest step of all…….starts tomorrow.

The closing of such a large facility takes a lot of coordination. The closure work will actually start Friday night, after all of the rush hour traffic has dispersed. The contractor and NCDOT will have numerous crews onsite uncovering new signs and covering up existing signs throughout the Winston Salem area. They will also be changing the traffic patterns on Business 40 as it approaches US-52 from the east and Peters Creek Parkway from the west. The work will continue into the day on Saturday as they also close on-ramps from city streets, so that motorists don’t wind up inside the closed portion of Business 40. As these crews double check to make sure that all possible entrances have been closed, clearing and demolition crews will already be staged onsite to begin their work. For those lucky enough to work in one of the high rise buildings with a bird’s eye view of the project, by the time you get to your desk Monday morning, portions of the Business 40 bridge over Liberty Street and the Main Street bridge will already be turned to rubble. The demolition of the Church Street bridge will begin during the day on Monday.

exits from business 40

Weekend Timeline

Beginning Friday night at 9 p.m., crews will be installing left lane closures on westbound Business 40 approaching Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, eastbound Business 40 approaching Cloverdale Avenue, and northbound US-52 approaching Business 40.  For more information on these individual lane closures and the work taking place, please click below:

  • Business 40 westbound, left lane closure.  TIMS entry –  551127
  • Business 40 eastbound, left lane closure.   TIMS entry – 551129
  • US-52 northbound, left lane closure.  TIMS entry – 551131

Beginning Saturday morning at 12 a.m., crews will close the right two lanes of southbound US-52 between Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and Business 40.  Of the two lanes closed, the far right lane becomes the on-ramp to Business 40 West.   As you will read in the TIMS entry, the far right lane will stay closed because Business 40 is closing:

  • US-52 southbound, right two lanes closure.   TIMS entry – 551094

Beginning Saturday morning at 6 a.m., the closure of Business 40 begins.  This includes Business 40 and all ramps that would normally bring traffic into the closed portion of Business 40:

  • Business 40 closure.  TIMS entry – 551037       Business 40 Closure with Detour – Interactive Map
  • US-52 northbound ramp closed to westbound Business 40.  TIMS entry – 551097
  • US-52 southbound ramp closed to westbound Business 40.  TIMS entry – 551096
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive ramp closed to westbound Business 40.  TIMS entry – 551098
  • Marshall Street ramps closed to eastbound and westbound Business 40.   TIMS entry – 551099
  • Spruce Street ramp closed to westbound Business 40.  TIMS entry – 551105
  • Peters Creek Parkway ramp closure to eastbound Business 40.  TIMS entry – 551106

Also beginning Saturday morning at 6 a.m., crews will be closing the following bridges for reconstruction.  The bridges are scheduled to be reopened by Summer 2019.  Pay close attention to the Main Street bridge entry, as Business 40 between Main Street and US-52 will reopen as the Main Street bridge reopens:

The information above is from our NCDOT Division 9 office, which will continue to release frequent updates throughout the project.

Local stakeholders will be on hand Monday and Tuesday morning on the first business days of the closure for a Multi-Agency Emergency Operations Center, monitoring conditions and reporting them in real-time. The Winston Salem Chamber will participate in the EOC along with representatives from more than 25 other agencies and businesses.