{{Short description|Highway in North Carolina}} {{Redirect|North Carolina Highway 74|the former alignment from Denver to Carthage|North Carolina Highway 74 (1921–1934)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}} {{Use American English|date=November 2023}} {{Infobox road |state = NC |type = NC |marker_image = {{Infobox road/shieldmain/USA|state=NC|type=NC|route=74}} {{Infobox road/shieldmain/USA|state=NC|type=NC|route=452}} |name = Winston-Salem Northern Beltway |map = {{maplink-road|from=Winston-Salem Northern Beltway.map}} |map_custom = yes |map_notes = Open segment shown in red; segment under construction in blue; proposed NC 452 in purple |maint = NCDOT |length_mi = 12.5 |length_ref = <ref name="First Segment">{{cite news |last1 = Young |first1 = Wesley |title = 6 new lanes, all 65 mph opening from Salem Parkway to Reidsville Road |url = https://journalnow.com/news/local/6-new-lanes-all-65-mph-opening-from-salem-parkway-to-reidsville-road/article_9503a79e-eec8-11ea-9714-2f7e27bd9c28.html |access-date = September 5, 2020 |work = Winston-Salem Journal |date = September 4, 2020 }}</ref><ref name="Second Segment">{{Cite web |last = Warfield |first = Andy |date = December 23, 2020 |title = Segments of Greensboro Urban Loop, Winston-Salem Northern Beltway opened Wednesday (Photos) |url = https://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2020/12/23/segments-of-i-840-winston-salem-beltway-to-open.html |access-date = December 26, 2020 |website = Triad Business Journal }}</ref><ref name="Third Segment">{{cite news |last1 = Young |first1 = Wesley |title = A new section of the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway has opened. |url = https://journalnow.com/news/local/a-new-section-of-the-winston-salem-northern-beltway-has-opened/article_379bbb44-5ebc-11ed-b185-b7c4f2bbdf7d.html |access-date = November 12, 2022 |work = Winston-Salem Journal |date = November 7, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Fourth Segment">{{cite news |last1=Funk |first1=Hunter |title=NCDOT to open piece of Winston-Salem Northern Beltway ahead of Thanksgiving |url=https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/local/winston-salem-northern-beltway-thanksgiving-travel-holiday/83-c2c2bc6c-66f1-4f68-9144-5f204e45e26f |access-date=22 November 2023 |work=wfmynews2.com |date=November 17, 2023}}</ref> |length_round = |established = 2020<ref name="First Segment" /> |allocation = {{plainlist|1= * {{jct|state=NC|NC|452|nolink=yes}} <small>(Clemmons–Rural Hall)</small> * {{jct|state=NC|NC|74|nolink=yes}} <small>(Rural Hall–Union Cross)</small> }} |direction_a = West |terminus_a = {{jct|state=NC|US|52}} near Rural Hall |junction = {{plainlist|1= * {{jct|state=NC|NC|66}} near Rural Hall * {{jct|state=NC|US|311}} in Walkertown * {{jct|state=NC|US|158}} in Walkertown }} |direction_b = East |terminus_b = {{jct|state=NC|US|421|NC|150}} in Kernersville |counties = Forsyth }} The '''Winston-Salem Northern Beltway''' is a partially completed freeway loop around the city of Winston-Salem in North Carolina. The western section has been designated as '''North Carolina Highway 452''' ('''NC 452'''), which will become I-274 when completed, and the eastern section of the beltway will is designated as '''North Carolina Highway 74''' ('''NC 74'''), which will become part of I-74 when completed.<ref>{{cite web |publisher = North Carolina Department of Transportation |url = https://connect.ncdot.gov/resources/safety/Route%20Changes/Route%20Changes/NC452_19990326.pdf |format = PDF |title = Route Change (1999-03-26) |date = March 26, 1999 |access-date = June 20, 2014 }}</ref><ref name="wsnb-firstopen">{{Cite news |last = Young |first = Wesley |date = July 27, 2019 |title = First beltway segment opens this fall |work = Winston-Salem Journal |url = https://www.journalnow.com/gallery/news/first-beltway-segment-opens-this-fall/article_b64efb51-0e9e-54e2-9599-9f28edf9d5c5.html#15 |access-date = December 27, 2019 }}</ref> The entire route is in Forsyth County.
The beltway would make Winston-Salem the seventh city in North Carolina to have a full or partial Interstate loop; the other six are Asheville (I-240), Charlotte (I-485 and I-277), Raleigh (I-440 and I-540), Wilmington (I-140), Greensboro (I-840), and Fayetteville (I-295).
==Route description== When completed as planned, the beltway will be approximately {{convert|30|mi|km}} in length,<ref name="aaa1">[http://www.duke.edu/~rmalme/i74seg4.html Interstate 74 - Segment 4]{{sps|certain=yes|date=April 2021}}</ref> beginning in the east at I-74/NC 192 and ending in the west at U.S. Highway 158 (US 158). It would be entirely within Forsyth County and would cross I-40 and US 421 twice. The beltway would serve as a freeway connector for Walkertown, Stanleyville, Rural Hall, Tobaccoville, Pfafftown, Lewisville, Kernersville, Clemmons and would serve as a possible bypass for US 158 and US 52. The TIP Project Number is R-2247 for the western segment and U-2579 for the under construction eastern segment.
The completed portion is signed as NC 74, and bears the mile markers based on putative mileage of I-74, when the interstate is completed. Starting at the current western terminus at US 52 in the southern outskirts of Rural Hall, the route travels southeast, with the nearby interchange with NC 66 (Exit 42) giving direct access to central Rural Hall. NC 74 travels in the eastern outskirts of Winston-Salem with NC 8 (Germanton Road) (Exit 43) and Baux Mountain Road (Exit 45). Access to the center of Walkertown is accessible from US 311 (New Walkertown Road) (Exit 49), and US 158 (Reidsville Road) (exit 50). Turning gently in the southern direction, the beltway exits the Walkertown limits, and reaches the interchange with US 421 (Salem Parkway) (Exit 53), which gives access to both Downtown Kernersville and Downtown Winston-Salem. This is the current south terminus, and is the current key gateway to Greensboro from the Beltway. As of May 2026, work is underway to extend the beltway to further south from Exit 53. When completed; the eastern stretch of the beltway would continue in the western outskirts of Kernersville, coming to Kernersville Road (exit 55), which would also give access to the center of the namesake town. The beltway will then briefly traverse in the eastern outskirts of Winston-Salem, where it comes to the stack interchange with I-40. This interchange which will lead to Greensboro and Statesville. I-74 would continue south and merge onto the existing I-74 stretch, entering into the southern outskirts of Kernersville, before entering into High Point. The entire eastern section of the beltway would be finished and opened; scheduled between Spring 2026 to Late 2026.
==History== 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 (EIS). After the legal situation was resolved, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (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.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hargrove |first1=Adrianna |title=NCDOT: Winston Salem Beltway project has a long way to go |url=https://www.wxii12.com/article/ncdot-winston-salem-beltway-project-has-a-long-way-to-go/60022963 |access-date=April 11, 2024 |work=WXII |date=March 1, 2024 |language=en}}</ref> Funds once allocated to the western segment were then reapportioned to the construction of the eastern segment, which had a planned construction start date in 2011.{{cn|date=November 2024}}
A second lawsuit, however, delayed the road further. A federal district judge in May 2010 dismissed the cases accusing an updated environmental study of ignoring global warming and impact on other intersecting roads.<ref>Wesley Young, "Judge paves way for Northern Beltway," ''Winston-Salem Journal'', May 21, 2010.</ref> However, the high cost of building the entire project pushed the beltway to last place on a list of urban loop projects being built by the state. In March 2011, state officials agreed to rank projects using sections, which might help the eastern section move higher on a list by 2014.<ref>{{cite news |first = John |last = Hinton |title = Beltway Project Gets a Boost |work = Winston-Salem Journal |date = March 4, 2011 }}</ref>
[[File:I-74 Groundbreaking in Kernersville.jpg|thumb|left|Winston-Salem Northern Beltway groundbreaking on November 14, 2014]] On September 7, 2011, North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue announced that construction of a part of the eastern leg of the beltway would begin in 2014. The section to be built connects US 158 to I-40 Business (I-40 Bus.; now US 421/Salem Parkway). Right-of-way acquisition began in 2012 and cost $34 million (equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|34000000|2012}}}} in {{Inflation/year|index=US-GDP}}{{Inflation/fn|index=US-GDP}}); construction was estimated to cost $156 million.<ref name="WSNB2">{{cite web |author = North Carolina Department of Transportation |author-link = North Carolina Department of Transportation |title = Winston-Salem Northern Beltway |url = http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/wsnb/default.html |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111006151542/http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/wsnb/default.html |archive-date = October 6, 2011 |access-date = November 26, 2011 |publisher = North Carolina Department of Transportation }}</ref><ref name="Gov2014">{{cite news |last = Garber |first = Paul |date = September 7, 2011 |title = Construction of first segment of Northern Beltway will begin in 2014, governor says |work = Winston-Salem Journal |url = http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2011/sep/06/3/eastern-leg-of-northern-beltway-in-winston-salem-w-ar-1365256/ |archive-url = https://archive.today/20130127180603/http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2011/sep/06/3/eastern-leg-of-northern-beltway-in-winston-salem-w-ar-1365256/ |url-status = dead |archive-date = January 27, 2013 |access-date = January 22, 2012 }}</ref> Construction on the segment, Project U-2579B, commenced in December 2014,<ref name="WSNB" /><ref name="Gov2014" /> with an anticipated completion date of November 2018.{{Citation needed|date=September 2020}} However, after delays, including an opening date of late 2019,<ref name="wsnb-firstopen" /> it was finally opened to traffic on September 5, 2020.<ref name="First Segment" />
Since then, funding has been allocated to complete the remaining sections of NC 74 between US 52 and the current I-74 (formerly cosigned with US 311), starting with the segment between US 311 and US 158, known as Project U-2579C, in October 2017.{{Citation needed|date=September 2020}} Construction on this segment began in 2018,{{Citation needed|date=September 2020}} was scheduled to open in 2021,<ref name="sectionDEF" /> and opened to traffic on December 23, 2020.<ref name="Second Segment" />
That same year, a contract for the segment between NC 66 and US 311, Projects U-2579D, U-2579E, and U-2579F, was awarded. Construction on this segment begun in April 2019, and it opened to traffic on November 7, 2022.<ref name="sectionDEF">{{Cite news |last = Young |first = Wesley |date = April 5, 2018 |title = Three new Northern Beltway segments in Forsyth County under contract |work = Winston-Salem Journal |url = https://www.journalnow.com/news/local/three-new-northern-beltway-segments-in-forsyth-county-under-contract/article_ef6c1db0-4bee-519e-94a1-8b1229b19f3e.html |access-date = December 27, 2019 }}</ref><ref name="wsnb-firstopen" /><ref name="Third Segment" /> Next, construction on the segments between I-74 and I-40 Bus. (now US 421/Salem Parkway), Projects U-2579AA and U-2579AB are under construction, with the Eastern Loop expected to open in 2026.<ref>{{cite web |title=Winston-Salem Northern Beltway Project Highlights |url=https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/wsnb/Pages/project-highlights.aspx |website=NCDOT |publisher=North Carolina Department of Transportation |access-date=1 May 2026}}</ref> During the time, construction on the interchange with US 52, which began in 2019,<ref name="2018update">{{cite news |first = Wesley |last = Young |url = https://www.journalnow.com/news/local/work-starts-next-year-on-beltway-interchange-with-u-s/article_a1e43e50-a9fe-5e42-b08f-e672232c79b3.html |title = Work starts next year on Beltway interchange with U.S. 52 |newspaper = Winston-Salem Journal |date = September 29, 2018 |access-date = January 23, 2019 }}</ref> was scheduled to be completed in 2022,<ref name="wsnb-firstopen" /> but was then delayed to mid-2023.<ref name="wsnb-firstopen" /> It was later delayed again, this time to around Thanksgiving 2023.<ref>{{cite news |title=An aerial view of Winston-Salem Northern Beltway construction, June 2023 |url=https://journalnow.com/video/news/an-aerial-view-of-winston-salem-northern-beltway-construction-june-2023/video_e1c27648-49cc-5cb3-8bbb-de7b75a5adac.html |access-date=13 October 2023 |work=Winston-Salem Journal |date=6 July 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
On January 22, 2022, another contract was awarded.<ref name="sectionAB">{{Cite news |last = Young |first = Wesley |date = January 22, 2022 |title = Contract awarded for beltway section between Salem Parkway and I-40 in Winston-Salem |work = Winston-Salem Journal |url = https://journalnow.com/news/local/contract-awarded-for-beltway-section-between-salem-parkway-and-i-40-in-winston-salem/article_545851ce-6da0-11ec-a99f-1329a8ec1887.html |access-date = January 30, 2022 }}</ref> This section runs from the Salem Parkway to I-40, a length of {{Convert|3.1|mi|km}}. The last section of the eastern leg (I-40 to the existing I-74) was scheduled to begin in October 2022. Both of these projects apparently had to be postponed due to the cash crunch caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first phase of the project to be constructed was the northeastern quadrant, starting at US 421 (Salem Parkway) and extending north and west. It was completed in four segments. The first segment, from US 421 to US 158, was completed on September 5, 2020.<ref name="First Segment"/> The second segment, extending the route to US 311, was opened on December 23, 2020.<ref name="Second Segment"/> The third segment, to NC 66, was completed on November 7, 2022.<ref name="Third Segment"/> The southbound exit and northbound entrance from US 52 on the fourth segment was scheduled to open to traffic on November 18, 2023; the rest of the interchange remains under construction.<ref name="Fourth Segment"/> On January 14, 2025, NCDOT extended NC 74 onto the segment between NC 66 (University Parkway) and US 52.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://connect.ncdot.gov/resources/safety/Ordinance%20Packages/2025/2025_01_14.pdf |title= Certification of Rulemaking - 2025-01-14 |date=January 14, 2025 |publisher= North Carolina Department of Transportation |location= Raleigh, NC |access-date= January 28, 2025 }}</ref>
== Future == 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 had been in appearance in certain Winston-Salem Department of Transportation (WSDOT) long-range planning maps.<ref name="WS1">{{cite book |url = http://www.cityofws.org/Assets/CityOfWS//Documents/forms%20and%20reports/Transportation/LRTP/Appendix/2003_Transportation_Needs_Document.pdf |title = WSDOT: 2003 Transportation Needs Document |page = 26 |archive-date = February 6, 2012 |access-date = January 9, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120206042050/http://www.cityofws.org/Assets/CityOfWS//Documents/forms%20and%20reports/Transportation/LRTP/Appendix/2003_Transportation_Needs_Document.pdf |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="WS2">{{cite map |url = http://www.cityofws.org/Assets/CityOfWS//Documents/forms%20and%20reports/Transportation/Needs%20Report/2003TransportationNeedsMap.pdf |title = WSDOT: 2003 Transportation Needs Map |access-date = January 9, 2007 |archive-date = September 27, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927210849/http://www.cityofws.org/Assets/CityOfWS//Documents/forms%20and%20reports/Transportation/Needs%20Report/2003TransportationNeedsMap.pdf |url-status = dead }}</ref> {{As of|2007|01}}, no preferred alternatives for this southern section have been officially submitted, and 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.{{Update after|2030}} If completed as planned, the Southern Beltway would serve as a connector for the communities of Midway, Wallburg, and Arcadia. The southern section would have an approximate length of {{convert|15|mi|km}} and would intersect I-285/US 52/NC 8 near its midway point. The southern loop would run parallel with I-40, in which, I-40 is considered to be the current southern "stretch" of the beltway, until the actually southern stretch is considered.
==Exit list== {{mileposts}} {{jcttop|exit|county=Forsyth|state=NC|length_ref=}} {{NCint|exit |location=Clemmons |type=unbuilt |mile= |exit= |road={{jct|state=NC|US|158|name1=Stratford Road}} |nspan=8 |notes=Western section of Winston-Salem Northern Beltway (funded)<ref name="WSNB">{{cite web |url = http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/wsnb/ |title = NCDOT: Winston-Salem Northern Beltway |access-date = August 28, 2012 }}</ref><ref name=WSNB_Map>{{cite map |url = http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/wsnb/download/ProjectMap.pdf |title = NCDOT: Winston-Salem Northern Beltway Project Map |access-date = November 25, 2011 }}</ref><ref name=R-2247>{{cite web |url = http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/search/details.html#id=1644 |title = NCDOT: Project R-2247 |access-date = August 28, 2012 |archive-date = October 29, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111029193045/http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/search/details.html#id=1644 |url-status = dead }}</ref> }} {{NCint|exit |location=Winston-Salem |lspan=5 |type=unbuilt |mile= |exit= |road={{jct|state=NC|I|40}} |notes=none }} {{NCint|exit |type=unbuilt |mile= |exit= |road={{jct|state=NC|US|421|road|Peace Haven Road}} |notes=none }} {{NCint|exit |type=unbuilt |mile= |exit= |road=Shallowford Road |notes=none }} {{NCint|exit |type=unbuilt |mile= |exit= |road=Robinhood Road |notes=none }} {{NCint|exit |type=unbuilt |mile= |exit= |road=Yadkinville Road |notes=none }} {{NCint|exit |location=Bethania |lspan=2 |type=unbuilt |mile= |exit= |road={{jct|state=NC|NC|67|name1=Reynolda Road}} |notes=none }} {{NCint|exit |type=unbuilt |mile= |exit= |road=Doral Drive/Bethania–Tobaccoville Road |notes=none }} {{NCint|exit |location=Winston-Salem |type= |mile= |exit=41 A-B |road={{jct|state=NC|US|52|NC|65|to2=to|city1=Winston-Salem|city2=Rural Hall}} |notes= Southbound exit and northbound entrance from US 52 opened to traffic on November 19, 2023;<ref name="Fourth Segment"/> rest of the interchange currently under construction <!--Will connect U.S. Route 52 and Interstates 74, (future) 274 and (partially-completed) 285--> }} {{NCint|exit |location=Stanleyville |type= |mile= |exit=42 |road={{jct|state=NC|NC|66|name1=University Parkway}} |nspan=3 |notes=Opened to traffic on November 7, 2022<ref name="WSNB"/><ref name=2018update/><ref name=U-2579>{{cite web |url = http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/search/details.html#id=2192 |title = NCDOT: Project U-2579 |access-date = August 28, 2012 |archive-date = October 29, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111029193045/http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/search/details.html#id=2192 |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="Third Segment" /> }} {{NCint|exit |location=Winston-Salem |lspan=2 |type= |mile= |exit=43 |road={{jct|state=NC|NC|8|name1=Germanton Road}} |notes=none }} {{NCint|exit |type= |mile= |exit=45 |road=Baux Mountain Road |notes=none }} {{NCint|exit |location=Walkertown |lspan=2 |mile= |exit=49 |road={{jct|state=NC|US|311|name1=New Walkertown Road}} |notes=Opened to traffic on December 23, 2020<ref name="Second Segment" /> }} {{NCint|exit |mile= |exit=50 |road={{jct|state=NC|US|158|name1=Reidsville Road}} |nspan=2 |notes=Opened to traffic on September 5, 2020<ref name="First Segment"/> }} {{NCint|exit |location=Kernersville |lspan=2 |mile= |exit=53 |road={{jct|state=NC|US|421|NC|150|name2=Salem Parkway|city1=Kernersville|city2=Winston-Salem}} |notes=none }} {{NCint|exit |type=unbuilt |mile= |exit=55 |road=Kernersville Road |nspan=2 |notes=Future interchanges (contract awarded December 2021; currently under construction with a completion date of November 2026) }} {{NCint|exit |location=Winston-Salem |type=unbuilt |mile= |exit=56 |road={{jct|state=NC|I|40|city1=Greensboro|city2=Statesville}} |notes=none }} {{NCint|exit |location=Union Cross |type=unbuilt |mile= |exit=57 |road={{jct|state=NC|I|74|NC|192}} |notes=Future interchange (contract awarded October 2022, to be completed tentatively 2026)<ref name="WSNB"/><ref name=2018update/><ref name=U-2579/> }} {{Jctbtm|keys=unbuilt}}
==Interstate 274== {{Infobox road small |header_type=UC |state=NC |route=274 |type=Future |length_mi=16.83 |length_ref= |location=Winston-Salem }} '''Interstate 274''' ('''I-274''') is the future designation for the western half of the beltway, currently designated as NC 452. When completed, it will connect US 158, near Clemmons, to Future I-74/Future I-285/US 52, in Bethania. I-274 first appeared on NCDOT planning maps in the early 2000s but was later disused for over a decade since. On May 20, 2019, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) approved a request to establish Future I-274. Justification given by NCDOT was that the {{convert|16.83|mi|km|adj=on}} section would satisfy a great need to alleviate congestion in Winston-Salem and connect the western portion of the urbanized area.<ref name="WSNB"/><ref name=R-2247 /><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ncdot.org/doh/preconstruct/tpb/SHC/pdf/SHC_Vision_Plan_Triad.pdf |title = NC Strategic Highway Corridors - Triad Vision Plan |access-date = August 28, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{AASHTO minutes |year=2019S |page=8 |access-date=June 3, 2019}}</ref> {{Clear}}
==See also== {{Portal|United States|U.S. Roads}} * Greensboro Urban Loop {{Clear}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Attached KML|display=title,inline}} *{{commons category-inline|North Carolina Highway 452}} *[http://www.ncdot.org/projects/wsnb/ NCDOT - Winston-Salem Northern Beltway official site]
{{3di|74}} {{Piedmont Triad}}
Category:Freeways in North Carolina Category:Beltways in the United States Category:Proposed state highways in the United States 74-2 Category:Interstate 74 74-2 North Carolina Category:Transportation in Winston-Salem, North Carolina Category:Transportation in Forsyth County, North Carolina