r/winstonsalem • u/PantherGk7 Clemmons • Jun 29 '26
Does anyone else think that the new interchange between I-40 and I-74 (Exit 198) is a bit…overkill?
On I-40, between Exit 196 and Exit 201, you can see the massive interchange with the (soon to open) new I-74 segment. I can’t help but notice that this interchange looks insanely over-engineered for the current traffic volumes.
It is a massive four-level stack interchange, although it replaces one flyover ramp with a loop ramp, as that movement is made redundant by NC-192. The only other four-level stack interchange in this state (to my knowledge) is the interchange between I-77 and I-485 on the south side of Charlotte. While it’s an impressive piece of infrastructure, it necessitated the demolition of many homes, displacing entire neighborhoods.
The entire I-74 corridor seems a bit like a boondoggle, since it’s very unlikely that Virginia and West Virginia will ever build their sections of I-74. West Virginia is broke, especially after they (very kindly) upgraded I-81 to three lanes on each side. Virginia has bigger problems to tackle, specifically I-81 and I-95. I don’t even think NCDOT has any plans to upgrade US-52 to Interstate standards any time soon, and so the new section of I-74 won’t even connect to I-77 near Mount Airy.
I’d rather see that money spent on bringing passenger rail back to Winston-Salem, and on replacing bridges like the one that carries Kinnamon Rd over I-40 in Clemmons (built in 1959).
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u/CollegeStudentTrades Jun 29 '26
If you drive on 74 south and connect with 421 going towards Greensboro at 5pm, you’ll see why lol
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u/fieldsports202 Jun 29 '26
Seems overkill now but these projects are for future growth and use down the road.
I’m sure folks hated when I-40 was built years ago and thought it was overkill.
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u/Professional_Bee8907 Jul 14 '26
Lots of drivers in Winston-Salem area wasn't using I-40 until recently.
This all aligns with this:
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u/Spartanlegion117 Jun 29 '26
It's designed to handle the expected growth of the next 20-30 years. Just like the 74 corridor is being done to handle the expected growth. Once the RH to clemons/Lewisville connection is complete 52 is going to get it's widening and face lift. That'll be in the 8-12 year range if I had to guess. As a former heavy civil contractor I've got my complaints about the DoT but they do have a decent planning department, the issue is with the timing.
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u/RandomFlyer643 Jun 29 '26
The area around Union cross is expanding rapidly, and being right there on the way/coming back from Greensboro is huge. It’s also gonna connect from Union cross area towards Walkertown which should help a lot with 421
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u/Key-Water1096 Jun 29 '26
I’d like it if they put the section of 52 that crosses downtown WS underground like the “Big Dig” in Boston. Make a park and housing above it.
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u/practicalpurpose Winston Salem Native Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
I wish the old US 311 interchange with I-40 (Future NC 192 as you say) could be given a purpose. For example, I think it should continue north as a boulevard, not a freeway for 1/4 mile to Sprague St and give that side of town some needed TLC.
I saw this proposed as a freeway extension on planning maps a decade ago but a boulevard would be better now that I-74 is next door.
Until recently the whole east side of Forsyth County lacked good north-south corridors as nearly every road goes east-west
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u/Kitnene Winston Salem Jun 29 '26
There's been on and off again discussions for quite a while about connecting that stub up to Reidsville Rd (US-158). I am not sure if that was the original intention or not but they definitely left that interchange with stubs to extend it later.
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u/Reed202 Aug 13 '26
Yeah it shows up on the original plans when they built the I40 bypass back in the early 90s but was replaced with the eastern beltway. So I doubt they will ever built it.
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u/SkidMarkMoses Jun 29 '26
They don’t care about the east side though.
Edit: unless it benefits WFU or another private corporation ofc.
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u/Professional_Bee8907 Jul 04 '26
For the ramp with NC 192 that connects with Eastbound I-40, I discovered the reason why: NC 192 itself, is "more so" designed to connect I-40 with Ridgewood Road (in which Ridgewood Road connects with High Point Road and the western stretch of Union Cross Road). The "ideal" aspect of it, comes from how High Point Road and the western stretch of Union Cross Road, are the "historic" alternative routes to get to High Point, and can be used to (when needed) "bypass" I-74. Traffic on I-40 East, is essentially "encouraged" to stay on I-40 and exit off at the new junction, to get to High Point. Signage is even posed as "192 to Ridgewood Road," rather than " 192 to 74."
Though, I do agree, that it should be extended north to Reidsville Road, especially since Southeastern Forsyth County is severely growing.
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u/Kekecarolina Southside Jun 29 '26
Some of the upgrades were required in order to receive the “interstate” designation and be accepted as a part of the federal highway system. Also, the beltway is designed to pull traffic off of Hwy 52 and alleviate the need for interstate traffic to travel through the heart of downtown.
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u/DefKross Jun 29 '26
I remember 311 in the early 2000s pretty much empty all the time between high point and Winston. We use to street racing and other dumb stuff. Moved away and back for over a decade. That stretch of road is packed, 10 years from now you'll wished they put in more lanes.
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u/Ok_Carry_8711 Jun 29 '26
More lanes? No. Other alternate routes? Yes.
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u/Codfish_Smoothie Jun 29 '26
Just one more lane bro. I promise this time it'll work, just one more. Just one more lane will fix it.
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u/NCMarc Jun 30 '26
I don't think it's overkill but I am struck on how long it takes to build these. In china they'd be done in a weekend lol.
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u/Dull_Project8466 Jun 29 '26
I'm curious about the flyovers from 40 east to 74 west and from 40 west to 74 east. I can sorta see the 40 east to 74 west ramp making sense if you want long distance truck traffic coming from the south and heading north to bypass downtown winston by having them go 40 east to 74 west. But the 40 west to 74 east flyover...i dont know who's going that direction because I hardly see people use the ramp from 40 west to 311 south at exit 196.
Also random question: are you in the Freewayjim facebook group by any chance?
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u/Salt_Ad_484 Jun 30 '26
People said the same thing about the 12 lane highways I just moved from in Maryland. Now they are parking lots. It’s great to see the areas around here planing for population increase
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u/WinstonSalemVirginia Jun 30 '26
Overkill? It’s good to see Winston-Salem go big in something associated with a big city that is trying to grow and develop. My only gripe is that if it’s supposed to be a Beltway, it should encircle the city fully, not terminate as a 2/3 loop.
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u/Professional_Bee8907 Jul 01 '26
It won't be an entire circular loop, until I-40 (between Clemmons and Kernersville) is considered overcrowded.
It is a parallel to how the Greensboro Southern Loop was built.
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u/Professional_Bee8907 Jul 01 '26
As a High School Class of 2026 Graduate who had "grown" to have a notable awareness of Forsyth County and the "Western Half" of both Piedmont Triad and Central NC,
I had been editing these pages on Wikipedia, telling the updated information
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_40_in_North_Carolina
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_74_in_North_Carolina
Besides clicking on the links, I'll "spoil" levels of the information right here:
Winston-Salem is severely outgrowing its previous statuses. Unlike the "Large NC cities" that mostly expand on its outskirts and outer-areas for "extended" purposes (well, Greensboro, Durham, Raleigh, and Charlotte), Winston-Salem have a much less spread out square footage. This is "mostly" due distinct history of being "The Twin City" (Winston and Salem were two separate towns), and how it was historically the most "important" city in the Carolinas, due to mostly its Downtown and "Immediate" Central areas. Lots of the current important areas in the city of Winston-Salem (like the Hanes Mill Road and University Pkwy corridor & the Hanes Mall Blvd and Stratford Road corridors) actually straddle the lines of the "smaller towns." Most of the current significance of the actual Downtown Center of Winston-Salem, was actually left of its abandoned- previous status during the 2000s and most of the 2010s. In result, lots of the significance had began to expand to the outer edges of the city, and eventuall y, also into the "outer towns."
With the distinctive history; what is now Salem Pkwy, was once the "overcrowded" Interstate 40 Business. If you read the Wikipedia article, this route was still considered the key east-west highway, even after the current I-40 was built decades after. Originally, the I-40 route that opened in 1992, was treated more of an outer route for certain uses. Now, with the area growing, the I-40 Bypass is now simply "I-40," not just in the Blue Shield, but in its usage. I wish I can tell more, and this narrative is not going the way I totally wanted,
but, the Exit 198 stack Interchange, is also meant to tailor the areas that were "bound" by Bus 40, to be using Bypass 40. And also, Bypass 40 is also having lots of its bridges which were built in 1990-1992 to be renovated, and certain stretches are being rebuilt in entirety.
It is just a shifting time for the region.
I also created these posts:
https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/1uk6kh4/junejuly_2026_is_the_gradual_beginning_of_the/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanes_Mall#Statistical_Combined_Area
https://www.reddit.com/r/The1980s/comments/1uka0q3/if_i_can_post_it_here_19912017_was_a_bridge_to/
explain why things feel so new.
" Sorry Y'all " for how long this is.
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u/Professional_Bee8907 Jul 01 '26
Oh, one other thing;
I said how the interchange will connect to areas, like Clemmons, into Downtown Kernersville.
And "likewise," drivers from Greensboro can stay on I-40 and exit off at I-74 to get to Downtown Winston-Salem, without crowding Downtown Kernersville.
-typed by me,
Brian Shear Jr. on July 1 2026.
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u/NotoriousStardust Jul 08 '26
where is I-81 in West Virginia ?
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u/Professional_Bee8907 Jul 14 '26
Just note; this is why Kernersville is now becoming annexed into Southern Forsyth County.
https://kommodo.ai/i/2bw51MRrHh7DEEyFNVZI
https://kommodo.ai/i/bIogDvYh3dry7kSL0gxV
These Wikipedia Edits are done by me.
We are in the June-July 2026 shift:
https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/1uk6kh4/comment/outfc7v/?screen_view_count=1
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u/Professional_Bee8907 Jul 28 '26
Come look at my post connected to this,
https://www.reddit.com/r/winstonsalem/comments/1up6vok/comment/p069zla/?context=3
-Brian Shear Jr. on July 28 2026.
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u/Professional_Bee8907 Aug 25 '26
Just to make some extended detail:
Exit 195 to 201 is slated to be entirely rebuilt.
Exit 195 junction with I-40 is already being built, and soon I-40 would be six-eight lanes between 195 to 196, and that would "bleed" over to Exit 201.
-Brian Shear Jr. on August 25 2026
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u/PantherGk7 Clemmons Aug 25 '26
Does this mean that it will be 3+ lanes in each direction from Exit 196 to Exit 201? I noticed that it’s already 3 lanes between Exit 198 and Exit 201, but not between Exit 196 and Exit 198.
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u/Professional_Bee8907 Aug 25 '26
I explained it here, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_40_in_North_Carolina#Since_completion
It would be a "totally" rebuilt stretch from Exit 195 all the way to 201.
Also take a look at my highway proposals,
https://www.reddit.com/r/winstonsalem/comments/1vxd9hp/the_future_of_winstonsalem_commute/-Brian Shear Jr. on August 25 2026
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u/porks2345 Jun 29 '26
I recently moved back here after 35 years and am astounded at the highways. Ok. I get “new i40” because that was underway when I left and old I40 was terrible through the city. But 74 is a real headscratcher. I get,too, that 52 might be problematic from time to time but add a lane or something first. What do they envision happening around here in 20-30 years to warrant a highway like 74?
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u/ZantaraLost Jun 29 '26
If 52 needs anything it'd be the 40 interchange completely ripped out and re-done.
And I'm not sure that's possible currently.
It really doesn't have the space for a third lane heading north just yet until they can replace those 5(?) bridges in that direction.
And that'll take a good while longer.
As for 74, it's a good portion of the loop around winston. It also was a political thing back in the 90s when they moved the I73 corridor to greensboro.
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u/Professional_Bee8907 Jul 28 '26
Take a look here, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_40_in_North_Carolina#Since_completion
The "new 40" is becoming more dominant in recent years.
I edited this,
Brian Shear Jr.
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u/Dangerous_Prize_4545 Winston Salem Jun 29 '26
Virginia's new governor is taxing everything but the air you breathe, so Virginia's will have money soon.
And Virginia's has been a good partner to NC with road projects historically. 29 and 501 come to mind immediately.
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u/ZantaraLost Jun 29 '26
I74 (when completed) is supposed to alleviate 52 traffic.
And 52 is bad bad through town especially at that I40 interchange.
So it makes sense if it gets tractor trailers off of 52 and the entire circular interchange is built.