Winston-Salem Northern Beltway
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 be designated as North Carolina Highway 74 (NC 74), which will become part of I-74 when completed. 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 in length, 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 the suburban communities of Walkertown, Stanleyville, Rural Hall, Tobaccoville, Pfafftown, Lewisville, and 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. As of November 2022, the completed portion is signed as NC 74, and bears the mile markers based on I-74's putative mileage when the interstate is completed. Starting at the current western terminus at mile marker 42 (NC 66) near Rural Hall, the route travels southeast, with interchanges at NC 8/Germanton Road (Exit 43), Baux Mountain Road (Exit 45), US 311/New Walkertown Road (Exit 49), and US 158 (Reidsville Road). The road turns gently to a more southerly route, and reaches its current terminus at US 421/Salem Parkway near Kernersville. As of November 2022, work is underway to extend the route in both directions, reaching west to US 52 at the northwestern end by late 2023/early 2024 and south to meet the current I-40 and I-74 by 2025/2026. 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. 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. 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. 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