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: 15 mi (25 km) |
|---|---|
| Formed: | 1992 |
| Direction: | West/East |
| From: |   I-40 & US 421 near Clemmons, NC |
| To: |  I-40/I-85 near McLeansville, NC |
| Major cities: | Winston-Salem, NC Greensboro, NC |
| System: | Interstate Highway System |
Interstate 40 Business (coloquially Business 40) is an 39-mile (63-km) loop highway that serves the downtown areas of Winston-Salem and Greensboro North Carolina. It is a freeway (though not completely up to Interstate 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 both cities.
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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 then travels unsigned for 6 miles (10 km) to the junction of I-840 and I-40/73 where it continues 7 more miles to where it meets Interstate 85 Business (Business 85). Interstate 85 Business through Greensboro was the former alignment of Interstate 85 (I-85) that was demoted in 2004[citation needed] when the first section of the Greensboro Urban Loop opened up. It then travels 8 more miles to its eastern terminus at the intersection of Interstates 85 and 40. In Winston-Salem it is sometimes signed as the East-West Expressway or the Downtown Expressway. In Greensboro it is also known as Fordham Blvd. and Preddy Blvd. The route also carries U.S. Highway 158, North Carolina Highway 150, and U.S. Highway 421 for various lengths. [1]
This Winston-Salem part of the 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. The Greensboro part was created when the main route was moved onto the new Greensboro Urban Loop south of that city in February 2008. Exit numbers for this new part of the route reflect a continuation of the mileage of the original Business I-40 highway. [2]
Currently, the 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.
One of the main purposes for rerouting I-40 around Greensboro was to bypass the old I-85/I-40 (now Business 40/85) interchange at Randleman Road within the city. The interchange is notable for its traffic congestion and automobile incidents; locals often refer to this portion which carries I-40B/I-85B/US220/US29/US70 from here east to US 421/O. Henry Blvd as "Death Valley".
Unlike in Winston-Salem, Business 40 in Greensboro west of Business 85 is up to Interstate standards.[3] This section is a modern freeway rebuilt between 2001 and 2004.
[edit] Exit list
| Mile | # | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old | ||||
| US 421 north – Wilkesboro, Yadkinville |
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||
| 1 | I-40 – Statesville, Greensboro |
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||
| 189 | 2 |   NC 67 (Silas Creek Parkway) to US 52 |
Signed as exits 2A (east/south) and 2B (west/north) | |
| 190 | 3A | Knollwood Street | ||
| 191 | 3B |  US 158 west (Stratford Road) |
West end of US 158 overlap; signed as exits 3B (west/south) and 3C (north) westbound | |
| 192A | 4A | Cloverdale Avenue | Signed as exit 4 eastbound | |
| 192B | 4B | West First Street, Hawthorne Road | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |
| 193A | 5A |  NC 150 west (Peters Creek Parkway) |
West end of NC 150 overlap | |
| 193B | 5B | Broad Street – Downtown Winston-Salem | ||
| 5C | Cherry Street – Convention Center | |||
| 5D | Main Street, First Street - Downtown Winston-Salem, Old Salem | |||
| 194 | 6 |   US 52 / US 311 / NC 8 – Lexington, Mount Airy |
Signed as exits 6A (south) and 6B (north) | |
| 194C | 6C |  To NC 109 – Walkertown, High Point |
Former US 311 | |
| 195 | 7 | Lowery Street, Fifth Street | ||
| 196 | 8 | US 158 east – Reidsville, Walkertown |
East end of US 158 overlap; eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |
| 198 | 10 | Linville Road | ||
| 202 | 14 | South Main Street – Kernersville | ||
| 204 | 15 |  NC 66 / NC 150 east – Kernersville |
East end of NC 150 overlap | |
| 205 | 16 | Colfax | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |
| I-40 west – Winston-Salem, Statesville |
West end of I-40 overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||
| 208 | Sandy Ridge Road | |||
| 210 |  NC 68 – High Point, PTI Airport |
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| 211 | Gallimore Dairy Road | |||
| 24A |  I-40 east / I-73 south to I-85 – Asheboro, Raleigh |
East end of I-40 overlap; no exit number eastbound | ||
| 212 | 24B | To Bryan Boulevard (via I-840) – PTI Airport | Signed as exit 24 eastbound | |
| 213 | 25 | Guilford College Road – Jamestown | ||
| 214 | 26 | Wendover Avenue | Signed as exits 26A (west) and 26B (east) | |
| 216 | 28 |  NC 6 – Greensboro |
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |
| 217 | 29 | High Point Road, Koury Boulevard | ||
| 218A | 30A |   US 220 south to I-85 Bus. south – Asheboro |
West end of US 220 overlap | |
| 218B | 30B | Freeman Mill Road | ||
| 219 | 31 |   I-85 Bus. south / US 29 south / US 70 west – High Point, Charlotte |
West end of I-85 Bus./US 29/US 70 overlap; no exit number westbound; no westbound entrance | |
| 124 | 36 | Randleman Road | Signed as exit 36B westbound | |
| 125 | 37 | South Elm-Eugene Street – Downtown Greensboro | ||
| 126 | 38 | US 421 south – Sanford |
East end of US 421 overlap | |
| 127 | 39 | US 29 north / US 70 east / US 220 north – Reidsville |
East end of US 29/US 70/US 220 overlap; eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |
| 128 | 41 | NC 6 (East Lee Street) to US 29 north / US 220 north |
||
| 130 | 43 | McConnell Road | ||
| 131A | 44 | To US 70 (via I-840) |
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| 44 | I-40 west / I-85 south |
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||
| I-40 east / I-85 north – Durham |
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |||
