A 17-mile section of Winston-Salem’s Northern Beltway is slated to open later this year.
The beltway project was first proposed in the 1960s, but serious planning didn’t begin until the 90s.
The newest segment will open up the Eastern Loop to traffic, eventually running from Interstate 74 to U.S. 52.
NCDOT Highway Division Engineer John Rhyne says, once opened, Forsyth County commuters should have an easier time getting through town.
"I think it's going to alleviate some bottlenecks," he says. "It's going to give some folks more options. Hopefully, it'll reduce some of the traffic over there on South Main in Kernersville, as well as we see a lot of traffic coming and going toward the beach."
Rhyne says the expected completion date for this stretch of the Eastern Loop is late this year. He anticipates some traffic shifts this summer and asks drivers to use caution as they travel through construction zones.