MLK ramp temporarily closed for U.S. 52 upgrades
The N.C. Department of Transportation has temporarily closed the entrance ramp from westbound Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to U.S. 52 South as part of the ongoing U.S. 52 Improvement Project.
The closure is expected to remain in place until 3 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18. Officials say the closure was necessary to allow crews to safely demolish and remove the old U.S. 52 South entrance ramp from eastbound Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. That ramp was replaced in January with a new ramp that improves driver safety and helps traffic flow more efficiently.
During the closure, motorists will be directed to use the new entrance ramp from eastbound Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to access U.S. 52 South.
This ramp reconfiguration project is part of the U.S. 52 Improvement Project, which includes streamlining and repaving one-half mile of U.S. 52 from U.S. 421/Business 40 to Akron Drive, and improving part of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Winston-Salem. The $13.1 million project is scheduled to be complete by next May.
The improvements will not only benefit drivers now, but they will also help prepare the city for the Business 40 Improvement Project in 2018, officials say. It will close 1.1 miles of U.S. 421/Business 40 in downtown Winston-Salem for up to two years to make major upgrades to the roadway and bridges. Much of the traffic on U.S. 421/Business 40 will be detoured onto U.S. 52.
