The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has awarded a $99.2 million contract to renovate Business 40 through downtown Winston-Salem.
The contract for the Business 40 Improvement Project was awarded to a team comprised of Flatiron Constructors, Inc./Blythe Development Company Joint Venture and HDR Engineering Inc. The design-build team will develop the design, purchase the right of way, obtain the proper permitting, coordinate the utility relocations, and construct the project, all under a single contract, NCDOT says in a news release. Initial work will focus on the engineering and design of the project, with construction beginning after environmental permits are issued.
Construction for the Peters Creek Parkway section may begin as early as the summer of 2017 and is anticipated to be completed by the winter of 2018. The main impact of the project, the full closure of Business 40, is expected to start in late 2018/early 2019 only after the Peters Creek Parkway section is completed and opened to traffic. It is anticipated that Business 40 will not be closed for more than two years.
The improvements will include:
- Modernizing the entrance and exit ramps, eliminating some, like the Broad Street interchange, and lengthening others, including at Marshall and Cherry Streets;
- Replacing the bridges on and over Business 40 with new structures that will meet current and future traffic demands and will have modern design specifications;
- Removing the existing pavement and replacing it with new pavement; and
- Visual enhancements to the roadway and the bridges.
Cover image: Rendering of Green Street pedestrian bridge in “Contractor’s Vision” for Business 40 (NDOT)