Winston-Salem Beltway

Infobox_road
highway_name = Winston-Salem Beltway
marker_

alternate_name =
length = "Northern Beltway:" ~30 mi (48 km)
"Southern Beltway:" ~15 mi (24 km)
direction = South/North (for I-74 and I-274)
junction =
established = Construction to begin in 2011

The Winston-Salem Beltway is a proposed freeway loop around the North Carolina city of Winston-Salem. The north eastern and north western 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.

Northern Beltway

If constructed as planned, the Northern Beltway would be approximately 30 miles in length [http://www.duke.edu/~rmalme/i74seg4.html Interstate 74 - Segment 4] ] , 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.

TIP Project Number 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 [http://www.cityofws.org/Assets/CityOfWS//Documents/forms%20and%20reports/Transportation/LRTP/Appendix/2003_Transportation_Needs_Document.pdf WSDOT: 2003 Transportation Needs Document (page 26)] ] [http://www.cityofws.org/Assets/CityOfWS//Documents/forms%20and%20reports/Transportation/Needs%20Report/2003TransportationNeedsMap.pdf WSDOT: 2003 Transportation Needs Map] ] . 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 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 could complete the beltway loop without the southern section.

Status

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 have since been reapportioned to the construction of the eastern segment, which has a planned construction start date in 2011.

ee also

* Greensboro Urban Loop
* Interstate 74 in North Carolina
* Interstate 274 (North Carolina)

External links

* [http://www.ncdot.org/projects/wsnb/ NCDOT - Winston-Salem Northern Beltway official site]

References