ROAD BLOCK.

AuthorPressler, Alyssa
PositionSTATE WIDE: Triad

For approximately 500 days, it's going to be more challenging to run a business in central Winston-Salem. In mid-November, the state closed a 1.2-mile stretch of U.S. 421 and Interstate 40 Business, often called "Business 40," as part of a multiyear plan to build a safer, less-curvy thoroughfare adjacent to the Twin City's revitalized downtown.

"If I was a small-business owner, I would be concerned," says Karen Simon, a local transportation consultant hired by the state and city to inform the public about the project. "I think the big businesses are more concerned about the detours. Smaller businesses are more worried about the bottom line."

The next phase of the $99.2 million project involves closing the highway from west of Fourth Street to east of Church Street, diverting traffic to side streets not accustomed to the more than 6,000 vehicles that travel through the section every day. Excessive rain delayed the closure in November, though Business 40 Resident Project Engineer Mezak Tucker says the project is still on track to finish by summer 2020.

To speed construction and limit negative impact, the project involves a design-build process in which a team of designers and contractors is responsible for the work from start to finish, seeking innovative ways to save time and money. Finishing faster means more compensation for the builders, so the goal is now closer to 14 months, Simon says. A joint venture of Broomfield...

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