Winston-Salem Northern Beltway

The Winston-Salem Northern Beltway is an under construction freeway loop around the North Carolina city of Winston-Salem. The western section has been designated as North Carolina Highway 452 (NC 452), which will later become I-274 when completed, and the eastern section of the beltway will be designated as North Carolina Highway 74 (NC 74), which will later become part of I-74 when completed.[3][4]

"North Carolina Highway 74" redirects here. For the former alignment from Denver to Carthage, see North Carolina Highway 74 (1921–1934).
Winston-Salem Northern Beltway
Open segment shown in red, segment under construction in orange, proposed segment in blue, proposed NC 452 in purple
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length5.5 mi[1][2] (8.9 km)
Existed2020[1]–present
Component
highways
Major junctions
West end US 311 in Walkertown
 
East end US 421 / NC 150 in Kernersville
Location
CountiesForsyth
Highway system

The beltway would make Winston-Salem the seventh city in North Carolina to have an Interstate loop; the other six are Asheville (I-240), Charlotte (I-485), Raleigh (I-440), Wilmington (I-140), Greensboro (I-840), and Fayetteville (I-295).

Route description

When completed as planned, the beltway will be approximately 30 miles (48 km) in length,[5] beginning in the east at I-74/NC 192 and ending in the west at US 158. It would be entirely within Forsyth County and would cross I-40 and US 421 twice. The beltway would serve as a freeway connector for the suburban communities of Walkertown, Stanleyville, Rural Hall, Tobaccoville, Pfafftown, Lewisville, and Clemmons, and would serve as a possible bypass for US 158, and US 52. It may also serve as a bypass for Silas Creek Parkway which is an outdated expressway in northwestern Winston-Salem. The TIP Project Number is R-2247 for the western segment and U-2579 for the under construction eastern segment.

History
Winston-Salem Northern Beltway Groundbreaking on Nov. 14, 2014

Construction of the western segment of the beltway was to begin in 1999, but was delayed by a lawsuit aimed at the Environmental Impact Statement. After the legal situation was resolved, the NCDOT then announced construction would begin in 2006; however, in March 2005, the department postponed the start date again until at least 2012, due to budget shortfalls. Funds once allocated to the western segment were then reapportioned to the construction of the eastern segment, which had a planned construction start date in 2011.[6]

A second lawsuit, however, delayed the road further. A federal district judge in May 2010 dismissed the cases accusing an updated environmental study of ignoring global warming and impact on other intersecting roads.[7] However, the high cost of building the entire project pushed the beltway to last place on a list of urban loop projects being built by the state. In March 2011, state officials agreed to rank projects using sections, which might help the eastern section move higher on a list by 2014.[8]

On September 7, 2011, North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue announced that construction of a part of the eastern leg of the beltway would begin in 2014. The section to be built connects US 158 to I-40 Bus. (now US 421/Salem Parkway). Right-of-way acquisition began in 2012, and cost $34 million; construction was estimated to cost $156 million.[9][10] Construction on the segment, Project U-2579B; commenced in December 2014,[11][10] with an anticipated completion date of November 2018. However, after delays, including an opening date of fall 2019,[4] it was finally opened to traffic on September 5, 2020.[1]

Since then, funding has been allocated to complete the remaining sections of NC 74 between US 52 and the current I-74 (formerly cosigned with US 311), starting with the segment between US 311 and US 158, known as Project U-2579C; in October 2017. Construction on this segment began in 2018, was scheduled to open in 2021,[12] and opened to traffic on December 23, 2020.[2]

That same year, a contract for the segment between NC 66 and US 311, Projects U-2579D, U-2579E, and U-2579F; was awarded. Construction on this segment has since began (April 2019) and is scheduled for completion in September 2021.[12][4] Next, construction on the segments between I-74 and I-40 Bus. (now US 421/Salem Parkway), Projects U-2579AA and U-2579AB; are scheduled to begin in 2020,[12][11] and will open in 2024.[4] Construction on the interchange with US 52, which began in 2019,[13] is scheduled to be completed in 2022.[4]

Future

A "Southern Beltway" connecting the eastern and western segments in Forsyth County and northern Davidson County is in the initial planning stages, as its general proposed routing appears on some Winston-Salem Department of Transportation (WSDOT) long-range planning maps.[14][15] As of January 2007, no preferred alternatives for this southern section have been officially submitted, and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) does not include the Southern Beltway on its vision maps. The WSDOT plans for this final section of the beltway to start construction sometime after 2030. If completed as planned, the Southern Beltway would serve as a connector for the communities of Midway, Wallburg, and Arcadia, and would not necessarily be utilized as a bypass for I-40 due to the freeway's southward dip. The southern section would have an approximate length of 15 miles (24 km) and would intersect I-285/US 52/NC 8 near its midway point. Once the northern segments of the loop are completed, I-40 through Winston-Salem would technically complete the beltway loop without the southern section.

Exit list

The entire route is in Forsyth County.

LocationmikmExitDestinationsNotes
Clemmons US 158 (Stratford Road)Western section of Winston-Salem Northern Beltway (funded)[11][16][17]
Winston-Salem I-40
US 421 / Peace Haven Road
Shallowford Road
Robinhood Road
Yadkinville Road
Bethania NC 67 (Reynolda Road)
Doral Drive/Bethania–Tobaccoville Road
41 A-B US 52 to NC 65 – Winston-Salem, Rural HallFuture interchange (under construction, to be completed tentatively September 2022)[13]
Winston-Salem42 NC 66 (University Parkway)Future interchanges (under construction, to be completed tentatively September 2021)[11][13][18]
43 NC 8 (Germanton Road)
45Baux Mountain Road
Walkertown49 US 311 (New Walkertown Road)Opened to traffic on December 23, 2020[2]
50 US 158 (Reidsville Road)Opened to traffic on September 5, 2020[1]
Kernersville53 US 421 / NC 150 (Salem Parkway)
Kernersville RoadFuture interchanges (funded, to be completed tentatively 2025)[11][13][18]
Winston-Salem I-40
Union Cross I-74 / NC 192
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  •       Unopened

Interstate 274

Interstate 274
LocationWinston-Salem, North Carolina
Length16.83 mi (27.09 km)

Interstate 274 (I-274) is the future designation for the western half of the beltway, currently designated as NC 452. When completed, it will connect US 158, near Clemmons, to Future I-74/Future I-285/US 52, in Bethania. I-274 first appeared on NCDOT planning maps in the early 2000s, but was later disused for over a decade since. On May 20, 2019, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) approved a request to establish Future I-274. Justification given by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) was that the 16.83-mile (27.09 km) section would satisfy a great need to alleviate congestion in Winston-Salem and connect the western portion of the urbanized area.[11][17][19][20]

See also

References
  1. Young, Wesley (September 4, 2020). "6 new lanes, all 65 mph opening from Salem Parkway to Reidsville Road". Winston-Salem Journal. Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  2. Warfield, Andy (December 23, 2020). "Segments of Greensboro Urban Loop, Winston-Salem Northern Beltway opened Wednesday (PHOTOS)". Triad Business Journal. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  3. "Route Change (1999-03-26)" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. March 26, 1999. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  4. Young, Wesley (July 27, 2019). "First beltway segment opens this fall". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  5. Interstate 74 - Segment 4
  6. "Interstate Guide - I-274".
  7. Wesley Young, "Judge paves way for Northern Beltway," Winston-Salem Journal, May 21, 2010.
  8. John Hinton, "Beltway project gets a boost," Winston-Salem Journal, March 4, 2011.
  9. North Carolina Department of Transportation. "Winston-Salem Northern Beltway". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on October 6, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
  10. Garber, Paul (September 7, 2011). "Construction of first segment of Northern Beltway will begin in 2014, governor says". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  11. "NCDOT: Winston-Salem Northern Beltway". Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  12. Young, Wesley (April 5, 2018). "Three new Northern Beltway segments in Forsyth County under contract". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  13. Young, Wesley (September 29, 2018). "Work starts next year on Beltway interchange with U.S. 52". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  14. WSDOT: 2003 Transportation Needs Document (page 26)
  15. WSDOT: 2003 Transportation Needs Map
  16. "NCDOT: Winston-Salem Northern Beltway Project Map" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  17. "NCDOT: Project R-2247". Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  18. "NCDOT: Project U-2579". Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  19. "NC Strategic Highway Corridors - Triad Vision Plan" (PDF). Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  20. Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (May 21, 2019). "2019 Spring Meeting Report to the Council on Highways and Streets" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 12, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
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