| Interstate 40 Business | |
|---|---|
| Route information | |
| Length: | 18.5 mi[1] (30 km) |
| Existed: | 1992 – present |
| Major junctions | |
| From: | I-40 / US 421 in Winston-Salem |
| To: | I-40 / US 421 near Colfax |
| Location | |
| Counties: | Forsyth, Guilford |
| Highway system | |
In the U.S. state of North Carolina, Interstate 40 Business (commonly known as "Business 40") is a 18.5-mile (29.8 km) business loop of Interstate 40; which serves the cities of Winston-Salem and Kernersville.
Contents |
Business 40 begins at exit 188 of Interstate 40 and exit 238 of US 421 in Winston-Salem. Traveling east, the route goes through the downtown of Winston-Salem, which has several quick on/off exits. It then continues south of Kernersville, before meeting back with Interstate 40 (exit 206) near Colfax. The entire route is 4-lane at freeway grade, it is also completely overlapped with US 421.
Originally known as the Downtown Expressway, it was one of the state's first urban freeways, predating the Interstate Highway System. It opened in 1957, the freeway went from Stratford Road to Main Street, signed as US 158. In 1959, it was also signed as Interstate 40. In 1960, it was extended east to Reidsville Road. By 1962, the freeway extended west to the current junction with US 421 and east into Guilford County; it was also at that time when US 421 was rerouted from Reynolda Road to its current routing we see today.[2]
Over the years, little has changed; which was a problem because the freeway was showing its age and was no longer considered interstate grade. In 1992, the state rerouted Interstate 40 onto a new bypass south of Winston-Salem. The old route was then renumbered as Interstate 40 Business. The freeway has made some repairs since then: In the late 1990s, the locally famous "Hawthorne Curve" near the North Carolina Baptist Hospital was rebuilt, softening the curve's angle. Other repairs were made on several exit ramps, roadbed grading, and bridges.[2]
In February 2008, Interstate 40 was rerouted onto new freeway south of Greensboro, becoming part of the Greensboro Urban Loop. The old route through Greensboro was then renumbered as Business 40, treated as an extension from Colfax (hidden on main I-40, this is similar to how Business 85 is set up today in Greensboro). This extended the route 20 miles (32 km), ending at a new terminus at I-85/I-40, near McLeansville.[3][4][5]
However, NCDOT officials received a lot of complaints by local residents and motorists on the confusion between the new Interstate 40 and Business 40. Another issue was that funding for construction and repairs on the old route was slashed since it was no longer designated as an interstate. On September 12, 2008, with permission from FHWA, Interstate 40 was moved back to its old route through Greensboro, decommissioning Business 40 through Greensboro (basically existing for only seven months). By mid-2009, a majority of signs have been corrected, though there are still a few signs mislabeled.[3][6]
In Kernersville, the roadway improvements and extension of Macy Grove Road will include the construction of a new interchange with I-40 Business/US 421. Property acquisition is to begin in 2012.[7][8]
In Winston-Salem, shared with US 421, a 1-mile (1.6 km) section from west of Fourth Street to east of Church Street has begun project development studies to completely upgrade and streamline. The project includes removing the existing pavement and replacing it with new concrete pavement, upgrade and modernize entrance and exit ramps, and replace most of the bridges on and over the freeway. No cost or time frame has been given at this time.[9][10]
| County | Location | # | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forsyth | Winston-Salem | 1 | I-40 / US 421 north – Greensboro, Statesville, Wilkesboro, Yadkinville | I-40 Business begins; north end of US 421 overlap, westbound exit and eastbound entrance |
| 2 | NC 67 (Silas Creek Parkway) | Signed as exits 2A (south) and 2B (north) | ||
| 3A | Knollwood Street | |||
| 3B | US 158 west (Stratford Road) | West end of US 158 overlap; signed as exits 3B (south) and 3C (north) westbound | ||
| 4A | Cloverdale Avenue | Signed as exit 4 eastbound | ||
| 4B | West First Street / Hawthorne Road | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||
| 5A | NC 150 west (Peters Creek Parkway) | West end of NC 150 overlap | ||
| 5B | Broad Street – BB&T Ballpark | Also to Downtown | ||
| 5C | Cherry Street – Convention Center | Also to Downtown | ||
| 5D | Main Street / First Street – Old Salem, Salem College | Also to Downtown | ||
| 6A-B | US 52 / US 311 / NC 8 – Lexington, High Point, Mount Airy, Smith Reynolds Airport | Signed as exits 6A (south) and 6B (north) | ||
| 6C | Martin Luther King Jr. Drive – Winston-Salem State University | |||
| 7 | Lowery Street / Fifth Street | Eastbound Lowery Street, westbound Fifth Street | ||
| 8 | US 158 east (Reidsville Road) – Walkertown, Reidsville | East end of US 158 overlap; eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||
| 10 | Linville Road | |||
| Kernersville | 14 | South Main Street | ||
| 15 | NC 66 / NC 150 east – Kernersville | East end of NC 150 overlap | ||
| 16 | Mountain Street – Colfax | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||
| Macy Grove Road | Proposed new interchange (Currently in planning and environmental study)[7][8] | |||
| Guilford | Colfax | I-40 / US 421 south – Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Statesville | I-40 Business ends; south end of US 421 overlap, eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus • Closed/Former • Incomplete access • Unopened |
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Though the highway is simply known as Business 40 throughout the state, the highway does have other known names it uses locally in areas.
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