GREENSBORO – State transportation contractors have opened a new section of the Greensboro Urban Loop.
Crews removed the barricades on Monday afternoon to allow traffic onto the six-lane, interstate-grade highway between U.S. 220/Battleground Avenue and Lawndale Drive. Previously the loop on the northwest side of Greensboro ended at Battleground Avenue, where traffic was forced to exit.
With the new, 2-mile section open, only one section is needed to complete a 44-mile loop around Greensboro. The first phase of that section – 2 miles between Lawndale Avenue and North Elm Street – is expected to open by the end of 2020. The entire 5.3-mile section between Lawndale Drive and U.S. 29 is expected to open in late 2021 or early 2022, weather permitting.
Interstate 840 – the designation that will follow the loop north of Greensboro from I-40 on the eastern side to I-85 on the southwest side – will meet significant transportation needs for the Triad region.
The highway will relieve congestion that has for years clogged Greensboro’s major arteries, including I-40, U.S. 29 and U.S. 220, and will create better connections between the city and locations to the north.