Winston-Salem Beltway

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Winston-Salem Northern Beltway
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Highway system

The Winston-Salem Beltway is a proposed freeway loop around the North Carolina city of Winston-Salem. The northeastern and northwestern segments of this beltway, deemed the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway project, are the parts of the loop currently underway. The eastern section of the beltway will be used as the Future Interstate 74 Corridor; and the western section may become signed as Interstate 274 (pending approval from AASHTO).

The beltway would make Winston-Salem the fifth city in North Carolina to have an Interstate loop; the other four are Raleigh (I-440), Asheville (I-240), Charlotte (I-485), and Greensboro (I-840). The Fayetteville Outer Loop (I-295) is set to be completed around 2020.

Route description

Northern Beltway

If constructed as planned, the Northern Beltway would be approximately 30 miles (48 km) in length,[1] beginning in the east at U.S. Highway 311 and ending in the west at U.S. Highway 158. It would be entirely within Forsyth County and would cross Interstate 40 twice and Business 40 once. The Northern 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 bypass for U.S. Highway 311, U.S. Highway 158, and U.S. Highway 52. The TIP Project Number is R-2247.

Southern Beltway

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.[2][3] As of January 2007, no preferred alternatives for this southern section have been officially submitted, and the North Carolina Department of Transporatation (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 Interstate 40 due to the freeway's southward dip. The southern section would have an approximate length of 15 miles (24 km) and would intersect Future Interstate 285 (US 52) near its midway point. Once the northern segments of the loop are completed, Interstate 40 through Winston-Salem would technically complete the beltway loop without the southern section.

History

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.[4]

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.[5] 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.[6]

On September 7, 2011, North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue announced that construction of a part of the eastern leg of the Northern Beltway will begin in 2014. The section to be built connects US 158 to Business Interstate 40. Right-of-way acquisition will begin in 2012, and will cost $34 million; construction is estimated to cost $156 million.[7]

As of February 2012, NC DOT is expecting right-of-way acquisition to begin in 2012, with construction beginning in 2015.[8]

Exit list

The entire route is in Forsyth County.

LocationMilekmExitDestinationsNotes
Clemmons US 158 (Stratford Road)Proposed western section of Winston-Salem Northern Beltway (unfunded)[8][9][10]
Winston-Salem I-40
US 421 / Peace Haven Road
Shallowford Road
Robin Hood Road
Yadkinville Road
Bethania NC 67 (Reynolda Road)
Doral Drive/Bethania–Tobaccoville Road
US 52
Winston-Salem NC 66 (University Parkway)Proposed eastern section of Winston-Salem Northern Beltway (partially funded)[8][11]
NC 8 (Germanton Road)
Baux Mountain Road
Walkertown US 311 (New Walkertown Road)
US 158 (Reidsville Road)
Kernersville I-40 Bus. / US 421 / NC 150
Kernersville Road
Winston-Salem I-40
  US 311
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  •       Unopened

Interstate 274

Interstate 274
Location: Winston-Salem

Interstate 274 (I-274) is the proposed designation for the western half of the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway. If utilized, it will connect US 158, near Clemmons, to Future I-74/US 52, in Bethania. Interstate 274 first appeared on NCDOT planning maps in early 2000s, but has since not been mention on the project nor listed by NCDOT. The "274" number has also not been officially submitted to AASHTO.[8][10][12]

See also


References

  1. ↑ Interstate 74 - Segment 4
  2. ↑ WSDOT: 2003 Transportation Needs Document (page 26)
  3. ↑ WSDOT: 2003 Transportation Needs Map
  4. ↑ "Interstate Guide - I-274". 
  5. ↑ Wesley Young, "Judge paves way for Northern Beltway," Winston-Salem Journal, May 21, 2010.
  6. ↑ John Hinton, "Beltway project gets a boost," Winston-Salem Journal, March 4, 2011.
  7. ↑ Paul Garber, "Segment of eastern leg of Northern Beltway in Winston-Salem will begin in 2014, governor says," Winston-Salem Journal, September 7, 2011.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "NCDOT: Winston-Salem Northern Beltway". Retrieved August 28, 2012. 
  9. ↑ "NCDOT: Winston-Salem Northern Beltway Project Map". Retrieved 2011-11-25. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "NCDOT: Project R-2247". Retrieved August 28, 2012. 
  11. ↑ "NCDOT: Project U-2579". Retrieved August 28, 2012. 
  12. ↑ "NC Strategic Highway Corridors - Triad Vision Plan". Retrieved August 28, 2012. 

External links

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