WINSTON-SALEM, NC — Traffic patterns surrounding Salem Academy and College will be greatly impacted when the North Carolina Department of Transportation closes a 1.2-mile section of Business 40 between Peters Creek Parkway and U.S. 52 at 6 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 11.

Transportation officials said that NCDOT has partnered with the mobile phone application Waze to assist motorists to find best transportation routes through the construction and visitors to Salem Academy and College are encouraged to download and use Waze, which offers route options and traffic updates.

Between Nov. 11 and summer 2019, the Liberty Street, Main Street and Church Street bridges will be closed for replacement, and the new Strollway Landbridge will be constructed during this time frame.
 
The Fourth Street bridge has been closed and is expected to reopen in January 2019, and the Broad Street bridge should open in early spring 2019.
 
Between summer 2019 and spring 2020, the Cherry Street, Marshall Street, and Brookstown Avenue bridges will be closed. The Green Street bridge will also be replaced with the new signature pedestrian bridge during this time frame.
 
Once these bridges are completed by spring 2020, they will reopen to traffic. The remaining section of Business 40, from Peters Creek Parkway to Main Street, will also reopen.

Despite the construction, drivers will still be able to get to downtown Winston-Salem.
 
The Cherry and Marshall street bridges will remain open until construction is complete on the Liberty and Main street bridges.
 
Even though the construction of Business 40 and 11 new bridges is slated to last up to two years, efforts are underway to open the road in early 2020.

The $99.2-million project will include:

• Replacing the existing roadway pavement
• Modernizing entrance and exit ramps
• Replacing nine vehicular bridges and two pedestrian bridges
• Lengthening the acceleration and deceleration lanes between ramps
• Widening existing roadway shoulders and adding new shoulders
• Building portions of a multi-use path from Lockland Avenue to Liberty Street

Beginning Nov. 11, all Business 40 traffic will be diverted to I-40, Peters Creek Parkway and U.S. 52. Vehicles will be able to take those exits but not drive past them.
 
Not all of Business 40 will close.

Only the 1.2-mile portion in downtown Winston-Salem will be closed. The sections between downtown Winston-Salem and the I-40 splits, near Clemmons and the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market, will remain open.
 
Traffic studies indicate there are 80,000 vehicles on Business 40 daily. Half of them are local, while the other half are passing through. Detour signs will guide pass-through traffic onto I-40.

When Business 40 reopens, it will provide a better driving experience with wider lanes, longer access and exit ramps, higher bridges, an increased speed limit, a modern look and a new name – Salem Parkway/U.S. 421.
 
There will be two pedestrian bridges and a tunnel. The footbridges will tie into the city’s greenway project, providing a walkable route from the Long Branch Trail at the Innovation Quarter in downtown to BB&T Ballpark.
 
Additional information is available at www.business40nc.com, on Facebook or online using #Biz40NC.