Interstate 40 Business (North Carolina)
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| Interstate 40 Business |
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| Business loop of the Interstate Highway System. | |
| Length: | Western Segment: 18 mi (28.8 km) Eastern Segment: (planned) |
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| Formed: | 1992 |
| Direction: | West/East |
| From: |   I-40 & US 421 near Clemmons, NC |
| To: | I-40/US 421 near Colfax, NC |
| Major cities: | Winston-Salem, NC Kernersville, NC |
| System: | Interstate Highway System |
Interstate 40 Business (coloquially Business 40) is an 18-mile (28.8-km) loop highway that serves the downtown area of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is a freeway (though not completely up to Interstate standards) for its entire length, which is rare for Business Interstates.
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[edit] 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. It is sometimes signed as the East-West Expressway or the Downtown Expressway and also carries U.S. Highway 158 and North Carolina Highway 150 for various lengths and U.S. Highway 421 for its entire length.
This freeway was the original alignment of I-40, which ran through the city of Winston-Salem from 1957 until 1992, when the main route was moved onto a new bypass further south.
Currently, the road 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" in downtown Winston-Salem was rebuilt, softening the curve's angle.
[edit] Future Greensboro extension
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This article contains information about a planned or expected future road. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the road's construction and/or completion approaches and more information becomes available. |
Another business loop of I-40 will be designated in Greensboro, when the mainline Interstate is shifted to the new Greensboro Urban Loop south of that city in 2007. It is likely that this loop will be treated as an extension of the existing Business Loop I-40, as was Interstate 85 Business through Greensboro when that former alignment of Interstate 85 (I-85) was demoted in 2004[citation needed]. Exit numbers for that route reflected a continuation of the mileage of the original Business I-85 highway from Lexington to High Point and around a two mile [3 km] hiatus along I-85 in-between sections.
One of the main purposes for rerouting I-40 around Greensboro is to bypass the old I-85/I-40 (now Business 85/I-40) interchange at Randleman Road within the city. The interchange is notable for its traffic congrestion and automobile incidents; locals often refer to this road split as "Death Valley".
As in Winston-Salem, Business Loop I-40 in Greensboro will be a freeway for its entire length, though, again not entirely up to Interstate standards. Part of this extension is also signed as "Preddy Boulevard".
[edit] Exit list
Applies to Winston-Salem segment only. Shields are shown at intersections with Interstates.
| Number | Mile | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old | ||||
| 188? | US 421 north | westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||
| 1 | Interstate 40 - Statesville/Greensboro |
westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||
| 2 | 189 | NC 67 to US 52 - Silas Creek Parkway | split into 2A and 2B | |
| 3A | 190 | Knollwood Street | ||
| 3B | 191 | US 158 west - Stratford Road | US 158 joins eastbound and leaves westbound | |
| 4A | 192A | Cloverdale Avenue | exit 4 eastbound | |
| 4B | 192B | West First Street to Hawthorne Road | westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |
| 5A | 193A | NC 150 west - Peters Creek Parkway | NC 150 joins eastbound and leaves westbound | |
| 5B | 193B | Broad Street | ||
| 5C | 193C-D? | Cherry Street | ||
| 5D | 193E? | Main Street - Old Salem | ||
| 6A-B | 194A-B |  US 52/NC 8/US 311 - Lexington/High Point/Mount Airy/Smith Reynolds Airport (Future Interstate 285) |
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| 6C | 194C | to NC 109 - High Point/Walkertown | ||
| 7 | 195 | Lowery Street/Fifth Street | ||
| 8 | 196 | US 158 - Walkertown/Reidsville | eastbound exit and westbound entrance; US 158 joins westbound and splits eastbound | |
| 10 | 198 | Linville Road | ||
| 14 | 202 | South Main Street - Kernersville | ||
| 15 | 204 | NC 66/NC 150 - Kernersville | NC 150 joins westbound and splits eastbound | |
| 16 | 205 | Colfax | eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |
| Interstate 40 east/US 421 south |
eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |||
