WINSTON-SALEM – A lane in each direction of Business 40 between U.S. 52 and Main Street is set to reopen during the early morning hours of Friday, Aug. 30.
Westbound Business 40 drivers headed toward downtown Winston-Salem will be able to take an exit for Main Street past the U.S. 52 interchange, which has marked the closure point for westbound traffic since November.
Construction crews will also be opening the ramp from Main Street to Business 40 East. Eastbound traffic will have the option take the exits for northbound and southbound U.S. 52, or stay straight on Business 40 toward Kernersville.
To minimize the congestion at the interchange, the northbound and southbound U.S. 52 ramps onto Business 40 West will remain closed at this time.
“The original plan was to open the Main Street ramps at the same time as we opened the Main Street bridge, however, the bridge work finished so quickly that the ramps simply weren’t ready yet,” said N.C. Department of Transportation Assistant Resident Engineer Larry Shaver. “We promised the city and the motorists that we would reopen streets as they were available and that’s what we have done.
“We have seen a lot of happy motorists and pedestrians using Main Street, as well as Church Street and Liberty Street, for north and south access within the city. Now, we are pleased to provide another option to downtown for drivers on the east side of the project.”
NCDOT officials anticipate some initial morning rush hour congestion with the opening of the new Main Street ramp, since that is the most direct route into downtown for westbound Business 40 motorists.
“The new ramp should provide some relief to other routes like Fifth Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive,” Shaver said.
For more information about the Business 40 Improvement Project, visit Business40nc.com or Winston-Salem Business 40 Improvements on Facebook.