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15 Things You Should Know About The Business 40 Closure Project In Winston-Salem

The Business 40 closure was originally scheduled for 21 months but a new agreement was made for 17 months to reduce the closure period. Business 40 could open early next year under the name Salem Parkway.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — We're just over three months into the Business 40 Closure project in Winston-Salem and crews are busy working on several parts of the project.

RELATED: The Business 40 Project | Detours and More: What You Need to Know

Here’s a look at 15 important project updates you should know about the Business 40 closure progress.

RELATED: Business 40 Months Ahead of Schedule, Could Open In Early 2020

BUSINESS 40 ROADWAY CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

  1. In downtown, crews are wrapping up work at the intersection of 8th Street and MLK, Jr. Drive. This area was widened to two lanes in each direction with a new turn lane from Marshall Street.
  2. Widening of Academy Street at the intersection of Peters Creek Parkway continues. Improvements include traffic signal upgrades and dedicated lanes for each movement at the westbound approach to Peters Creek Parkway. This work was originally scheduled to be completed when Business 40 closed. However, utility companies had to pull crews from that project last Fall to restore power to areas hit by Hurricanes Florence and Matthew.
  3. The Broad Street bridge is on schedule to open this Spring. The goal is to have it open in May in time for the Winston-Salem DASH baseball team’s home games.
  4. A lot of work is going on in the area of Main, Liberty and Church streets. The contractor is moving a lot of dirt to lower the grade of the new roadway and install sewer and drainage pipes. In some cases, crews have hit a very hard, metamorphic rock, which has caused them to have to blast. In the same area, crews are building retaining walls for new ramps and are moving a lot of dirt and gravel.
  5. On Fourth Street, sidewalk construction continues.
  6. On the north side of Business 40, new waterline installation has been completed along First Street, while new waterline installation continues on the south side of Business 40. Previously, the bridges that crossed over Business 40 carried waterlines from the north side to the south side. The new bridges will not have waterlines attached to them.

RELATED: ‘If You See A Needle, Don’t Touch It’ Warns City After Business 40 Construction Discovery

BRIDGES OPEN

7. Marshall and Cherry street bridges – These are open to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. They will remain open until Summer 2019. They will close when the Main, Liberty and Church street bridges are all open.

8. Peters Creek Parkway bridge – This interchange at Peters Creek Parkway and Business 40 was overhauled to add lanes and a new bridge. The bridge was completely open when Business 40 closed on Nov. 17, 2018.

9. Fourth Street bridge – This bridge was demolished in Spring 2018 and rebuilt. It reopened in early January 2019. The replacement of the Fourth Street bridge, along with the Peters Creek Parkway bridge, was the first stage of the Business 40 project construction.

10. Green Street bridge –The current Green Street bridge will remain open to pedestrians, until the new Broad Street bridge opens. Then the Green Street bridge is slated to be demolished and rebuilt as a dual tied-arch suspension bridge for pedestrians. The bridge will contain lighting systems for pedestrian safety and for bridge illumination.  

BRIDGES UNDER CONSTRUCTION

11. Broad Street Bridge – Construction of the new bridge is ongoing and the bridge is scheduled to reopen this spring. The new Broad Street bridge will have three vehicular lanes of travel, a bike lane in each direction, and a sidewalk on both sides of the bridge.

12. Main, Liberty and Church streets bridges – These bridges have been demolished. Crews have started the substructure work at each bridge location. They are driving pile and pouring concrete and construction retaining walls. These bridges are scheduled to reopen this summer. With the reopening of the Main Street bridge, the portion of Business 40 between Main Street and U.S. 52 will also reopen. Westbound Business 40 motorists will be able to access downtown Winston-Salem via the Main Street exit ramp. Motorists will also be able to access eastbound Business 40 from the Main Street entrance ramp.

13. Business 40 bridge over Brookstown Avenue – This bridge was taken down in December 2018. It will not reopen until Business 40 reopens early next year. New drainage pipe and sewer pipe are currently being installed on Brookstown Avenue.

14. Strollway Pedestrian bridge – The new strollway bridge over Business 40 will replace the section of strollway that previously passed underneath Business 40 near Liberty Street. Substructure work for the new bridge is ongoing and is on schedule to be completed in this summer. Once finished, the new bridge will contain plantings, ranging from small bushes and flowers to colorful garden trees, and lighting for pedestrian safety. The new bridge will reconnect the strollway access from downtown Winston Salem to Old Salem and the Salem Creek Greenway.

BRIDGES DEMOLISHED

15. The Spruce Street bridge was demolished in December 2018, six months ahead of schedule. The contractor was able to utilize a crew that was already onsite and perform the work early. The Spruce Street bridge will not be rebuilt.

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