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1. 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. 

2. 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. 

3. 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. 

4. What if the weather is bad?

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

5. 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. 

6. 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.

7. 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. 

8. What is the process for repaving streets?

There are four basic steps to repaving a street. The first stage, milling, grinds off roughly two inches of the damaged top layer of pavement. The streets are then cleared of loose debris, and manhole and valve structures in the travel lane are adjusted to sit flush with the new layer of asphalt. A new layer of asphalt is applied and compacted, which creates a smooth new travel surface. Finally, new striping is painted to define traffic lanes, stop bars, crosswalks and more.