Description

The project will replace the U.S. 52 North and South bridges over Liberty Street and the Norfolk Southern Railroad Switching Yard in Winston-Salem. Crews will also widen Liberty Street, make ramp improvements to the U.S. 52 interchange with 25th and 28th streets and install new traffic signals.

News and Updates

Traffic is now flowing smoothly across the new U.S. 52 North bridge over Liberty Street in Winston-Salem, following two weeks of lane and ramp closures that started in mid March. Crews closed varying lanes of the highway to connect U.S. 52 North with the new bridge.

The work was originally slated to take two months to complete; however, NCDOT and contractor Blythe Construction Inc. used innovative methods to dramatically reduce that time period and lessen the impact on drivers.

The new bridge replaces a 48-year-old bridge that was not built to modern design standards. The new, four-lane bridge is wider and safer, and will better serve the 90,000 vehicles that will travel across it each day.

After demolishing the old U.S. 52 North bridge, crews will build the new U.S. 52 South bridge over Liberty Street in its place.

While construction is under way, motorists traveling southbound on U.S. 52 will continue to drive over Liberty Street on the metal temporary bridge currently in place. The new U.S. 52 South bridge is scheduled to open to traffic in early 2013.

Press Releases

• Media Advisory: Upcoming Lane, Ramp Closures on U.S. 52 North in Winston-Salem to Affect Traffic (3/2/2012)

• No recent news releases.

Project Overview and Purpose

Purpose:

The northbound and southbound U.S. 52 bridges were built in 1964 and have sufficiency ratings of 46.9 and 45.7, respectively, on a 100-point scale. Despite the low ratings, the bridges are not unsafe. The ratings helped engineers determine the bridges’ ability to effectively remain in service. Based on bridge inspection results, traffic volumes and road widths compared to today’s traffic load, the bridges were deemed “structurally deficient” and in need of replacement. The new bridges will better meet the needs of today’s traveling public.

During the construction process, crews will replace only one bridge at a time. The contractor has installed a temporary bridge to allow two-lane traffic to flow in both directions through the work zone. The 500-foot metal bridge took about three months to construct.

This project will help the bridges last longer, and better accommodate the more than 90,000 vehicles that drive on them every day. Replacing the bridges will also help prepare Winston-Salem for the Business 40 Improvement Project in 2018. It will close 1.1 miles of Business 40 in downtown Winston-Salem for up to two years to make major renovations. Much of the traffic on Business 40 will be detoured along U.S. 52.

The $19 million contract for the U.S. 52 bridge replacement project was awarded to Blythe Construction Inc. of Charlotte. Work began in March 2010, with final completion set for 2013.

Additional work to improve U.S. 52 in Winston-Salem is currently under way. Click here to learn more about NCDOT’s efforts to streamline and repave parts of this important artery.

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Contact Information

Resources for Local Property Owners

In many cases, it is inevitable that a certain amount of private property must be acquired. The displacement of homes and businesses is minimized to the extent practicable. The following brochures will answer questions about this process.