- Interstate 40 Business (North Carolina)
Infobox_road
highway_name = Interstate 40 Business
marker_
alternate_name = "Business loop of theInterstate Highway System ."
length = 15 mi (25 km)
direction = West/East
starting_terminus =
ending_terminus =
cities =Winston-Salem, NC
established =1992
system =Interstate Highway System Interstate 40 Business (coloquially Business 40) is a 16-mile (27-km) loop highway that serves the
downtown area of Winston-Salem. It is a freeway (though not completely up toInterstate standards ) for its entire length, which is rare for Business Interstates. This is due to the fact it travels the old route of Interstate 40 through the city.Route description
The freeway connects to
Interstate 40 (I-40) in western Winston-Salem. It then proceeds east through Winston-Salem, and returns to I-40 just east of Kernersville near Colfax.This was the original alignment of I-40, which ran through the city of Winston-Salem from
1957 until1992 , when the main route was moved onto a new bypass further south. A Greensboro section was created later when the main I-40 route was moved onto the newGreensboro Urban Loop south of that city in February 2008. Exit numbers for the new Greensboro part of the route reflected a continuation of the mileage of the original Business I-40 highway (24-31). [ [http://www.ncdot.org/projects/greensborourbanloop/ NCDOT: Greensboro Urban Loop ] ] This Greensboro portion though was decommissioned in September 2008 (see below).Currently, the original Winston-Salem portion is undergoing a major upgrade to repair and replace many of the freeway's old design flaws which include rudimentary roadbed grading, narrow ramps, and short merging areas. In the late 1990s, the locally famous "Hawthorne Curve" near the North Carolina Baptist Hospital was rebuilt, softening the curve's angle.
Former Route towards Greensboro
right|thumb|500px|Since_2004,_the_Greensboro-area_freeways_have_undergone_various_designation_changes._After_2008,_I-40_will_follow_its_former_routing_through_Greensboro,_while_I-73,_I-85_(and_now_US_421)_will_continue_to_use_the_southern_half_of_the_Greensboro Urban Loop .] After leaving Winston-Salem Business 40 traveled unsigned for 6 miles (10 km) along I-40 to the junction of I-840 and I-40/73 where it continued 7 more miles to where it met Interstate 85 Business (Business 85). Interstate 85 Business through Greensboro was the former alignment ofInterstate 85 (I-85) that was demoted in2004 when the first section of the Greensboro Urban Loop opened up. [ [http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-4295548_ITM New Greensboro, N.C., Highway Makes Debut] ] Business 40 then traveled with Business 85 eight more miles to its eastern terminus at the intersection of Interstates 85 and 40.In Winston-Salem Business 40 is sometimes signed as the East-West Expressway or the Downtown Expressway. In Greensboro it was also known as Fordham Blvd. and Preddy Blvd. The route also carried
U.S. Highway 158 ,North Carolina Highway 150 , andU.S. Highway 421 for various lengths. [ [http://www.ncdot.org/projects/greensborourbanloop/ NCDOT: Greensboro Urban Loop ] ]Greensboro I-40 Relocation
On September 12, 2008, after complaints by local residents and motorist on the confusion between Interstate 40, and Business Interstate 40 through Greensboro, NCDOT officials got permission from the FHWA to reroute Interstate 40 back through the city of Greensboro and decommission Business Interstate 40. This placed Interstate 40 on its original route while leaving I-73 and I-85 signed along the
Greensboro Urban Loop . By the end of Fall 2008 Business Interstate 40 signs through Greensboro will be replaced back with Interstate 40 signs, and US 421 will be rerouted to replace most of the I-40 route along the Loop. [ [https://apps.dot.state.nc.us/pio/releases/details.aspx?r=1854 NCDOT Press Release dated 9/12/08] ]Exit list
ee also
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Greensboro Urban Loop
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*References
External links
* [http://members.cox.net/ncroads/interst/gr040.html: NCRoads - Green 40]
* [http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060211/NEWSREC0101/602110302/1001/NEWSREC0201 Greensboro News & Record - Death Valley Reference]
* [http://www.duke.edu/~rmalme/i73seg4.html I-73 in NC Segment 4 and 5 Page]
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