Southern Documentary Journal

A blog by Houck Medford

Ground Zero: Business I-40 Winston-Salem, NC

  • Bridge demolition on Business I-40 with later constructed national headquarters for Wachovia Bank.

  • A late afternoon sun provides the opportunity and conditions for creative lighting.

  • Heavy rains during demolition leave pattern pools which interact with the destruction environment.

  • Color and form ...

  • The last freeway monoliths standing in the current phase...

  • The three primary colors ... red, yellow, and blue.

  • The greatest volume and density of concrete to be removed was the Liberty Street interchange - going then, but gone now in four short days.

One of the first sections of Interstate Highway to be built in the country was a section of four-lane which bisected downtown Winston-Salem, NC.  The project was completed in 1955,

Because of Business 40’s age and outdated design standards, as well as increasing traffic volumes and wrecks, N.C. Department of Transportation decided in 2006 to rebuild the section of Business 40 from west of Fourth Street to east of Church Street – a distance of 1.5 miles.

The new Business 40, expected to be completed in 2020, will meet current design standards so that it can function safely and effectively for the next 50 years – the typical lifespan of an interstate highway.  Construction costs are $99.2 million.

A five-minute animation of highway improvements can be seen here.

The City of Winston-Salem’s reference website is here.