What's Happening in Winston-Salem, NC…

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has decided to modernize Business 40 in Winston-Salem by removing some access ramps and lengthening others, thus making it easier for drivers to merge into traffic.

The work is scheduled to start in 2016, but in the meantime, a nonprofit, independent group called the Creative Corridors Coalition (CCC) has developed guidelines to enhance the appearance of the new freeway.

Winston-Salem approved the guidelines, then hired Stimmel Associates PA, an architectural firm, to come up with a master plan of the work to be done. The CCC’s chair, Lee French, says the architectural drawings are a “great start”, even though they differ in some respects from the original guidelines established by his group.

The CCC wanted red brick walls along the route, but the architects’ plans do not feature any bricks due to the danger of them working loose from the wall and falling. Other features suggested by Stimmel include a pedestrian and bike path alongside the revamped highway, including connections to the BB&T Ballpark and the proposed pedestrian bridge at Green Street. The architects also propose small “pocket” parks near the bike path. The two visions will have to be aligned before work begins, and funding will have to be found for the architects’ more expensive options should they be approved.

Since some of the money will come from the public, the city council might work with brochure printers on a mailer for residents that describes the project.