Downtown Street Repaving

The city’s Field Operations Department will begin a road resurfacing project in the Central Business District that involves Third, Fourth and Fifth streets on Monday, June 26. The project is expected to take about six weeks and will involve the complete closing of sections of each street while work is being done. When each segment is under construction, it will be closed 24 hours a day. However, crews will only work during daytime business hours, from Monday through Friday.

Field Operations is advising that outdoor dining and shopping be suspended while milling work is being done. That process should be completed within a few days. Detours will be posted and citizens are urged to consult the map above, as well as the city’s social media, for updated information about the project’s progress.

"The city understands that this is a huge project with the potential to inconvenience nearly everyone who works, lives, or visits downtown during the project,” said Keith Huff, Stormwater director. “We’re committed to keeping the project on track, as much as we are able, and to keeping citizens informed of the closures."

The project is scheduled to begin on Monday, June 26 on Fourth Street. The first phase of work will be from Liberty to Spruce Street. The second phase will be from Spruce Street to Broad Street. In all the entire stretch from Liberty to Broad streets is expected to take about two weeks, if the weather stays fair. When Fourth Street is completed, the city would close the first section of Fifth Street from Research Parkway to Liberty Street. When it is completed, work will take place from Liberty to Broad Street. Work on Third Street from Research Parkway to Patterson Avenue will begin after Fifth Street is repaved. The city hopes that the entire repaving project work will be completed by Monday, July 31. However, rain could delay the schedule.

FAQs

Why now?

The optimum window for doing road work in North Carolina without weather interruptions is roughly from April to November. Paving work needs to be done when the weather is warm and this was the only six-week window without a major event downtown. July is often a month when many people leave town for vacation and slow down their outdoor activities due to high temperatures and humidity.

Why is this needed?

The streets are in bad shape and are a hazard for drivers. Some parts of Fourth Street have not been resurfaced since the early 2000s.

Why not do the work at night or on weekends?

The prices sub-contractors gave for nighttime work were 150% over daytime prices due to labor and problems with the supply chain. Prices for work on the weekends were also high.

What if the weather is bad?

Rainy days delay the project, so timelines will have to be adjusted.

How is the city notifying downtown residents, visitors and businesses?

The city plans to post weekly updates on the project’s progress. Use the following link to see our page on the project. The city’s social media will also have updates. The Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership is working with the city as well to keep downtown businesses, restaurants and residents informed.

Will this project affect the downtown music series?

The Summer on Fourth concert scheduled for July 15 shouldn’t be affected, except for such minor steps as striping the street, if major storms delay the project.

Will this affect the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic on Aug. 4-6?

Field Operations is starting the project on Fourth Street in order to have the work completed in time for the cycling event. Should weather delay repaving of Third Street, the city would wait to work on that portion of the project until after the event.