Myrtle Beach Message Board

NEW CONSTRUCTION IN DOWNTOWN WINSTON-SALEM ON HIGHWAY 52 CAUSING MAJOR HEADACHES AND DELAYS!


■ I realize this is going to make alot of you cringe, but if you are planning on driving Highway 52 South thru Winston-Salem on your way to Myrtle Beach or any of the carolina coastal areas, you may want to re-consider by taking a different route.

■ These directions are to help all of you AVOID the traffic backups that are now occurring daily on 52 southbound from the University Parkway exit all the way to I-40 business. The reason for these slow downs, is because the state D.O.T. decided to begin a massive project that ultimately shuts down one lane of 52 south in the downtown area of Winston during the daylight hours, but from 10pm to 6am every night THE ENTIRE HIGHWAY IS CLOSED in both directions!

■ So, herewith, are ALTERNATIVE DRIVING DIRECTIONS to get you to I-40 business and avoid the traffic mess.

■ If you are coming 52 south from the Virginia area, take the University Parkway exit. At the top of the ramp, turn right onto University Parkway. Follow University Parkway for approximately 5 miles. University Parkway will take you all the way to downtown Winston-Salem, where it will become Marshall street. Follow University/Marshall street thru downtown, until you come to I-40 business. Be advised, that when you get to the Marshall & First Street intersection, which is the street you will reach right before you make your left turn onto the I-40 access ramp, you will need to be in the far left lane. This is the ONLY turning lane available to put you on I-40 EAST.


■ Once you get onto I-40 Eastbound, you have the option of staying on 40 to Greensboro or taking Highway 52 south, whichever way you normally go. I hope you find these directions helpful.


■ I have one other way to get you to I-40 Eastbound that takes you thru Walkertown and Kernersville via Highway 66/Old Hollow Road, but I will only post those if someone asks for them.

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Favorite quote: "Another Day, Another Buck Eighty-Five an Hour"

Thanks, sparkieg! I had been wondering how Winnston-Salem was coming along. It does not sound good.

I will just throw in the way Terry and I have been driving to Surfside. I am not thinking it saved time but it was pretty easy. We drive down I-77 south into NC. We continue on I-77 south until we see 421 east to Yadkinville. At Yadkinville, we take 601south to Mocksville. At Mocksville, we take 64 through Lexington. We stay on 64 all the way to Asheboro. In Asheboro we connect to 220/73/74 south to Rockingham...Then we do 1...9...38...501...544(at Conway) on into Surfside Beach...This seems to be a combination of many routes that have been discussed...the road is some 4 lane...a lot of 2 lane...not a lot of traffic...signs are good showing the road numbers. Something to consider...oh...and FYI...we like to drive on the interstate highways but we enjoy our "off the main road" travels as well...so, this route may not be speedy enough for many...we still seem to arrive in 11 hours from the Sardis, Oh area...just north of Marietta, OH...

There are many gas stations and fast food places along the way...not a lot of stop and start traffic...there is a new rest area on 220 pretty close to where we get on at Asheboro...might be near Seagrove...
Oh and for those of you who love SONIC...Rockingham has a Sonic...I think it is on 74 east...business...

Looking forward to our August trip!!!!

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Thanks to both of you! We're heading south in August, and usually take 52 through Winston-Salem to Lexington, and then 64 to Asheboro. If we take that route this year, we'll definitely avoid the construction on 52 with the detour sparkieg recommended. However, we may look into the route ohiojo recommended for coming into Lexington from Mocksville.

Thanks again,
Scott

Scott, I like the route from Mocksville, also, because it is easy to navigate when I am doing the driving...it seems that this is the part of the trip where Terry decides to have a "siesta." Leaving me pretty much on my own...funny...the same thing happens when my daughter, Ashley and I travel to the beach...siesta time...then they wake up just about when we get to 220...I think they must be take after each other!!!

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So we were leaving Ohio this Friday night at 11pm. I figure we will hit Winston-Salem between 6a and 7a. Do you think we should take your alternative route at this time or attempt 52 to 311?
Thanks

Molly -

DO NOT take 52 south. The highway is closed in both directions between 10pm and 6am, and the traffic really starts to back up at 5am. If you arrive in the Winston Salem area in the pre dawn hours, you won't have a choice but to take the route down University Parkway that I mentioned. You'll thank me later.

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Favorite quote: "Another Day, Another Buck Eighty-Five an Hour"

So glad you are here to advise all of the route 52 issues...it is much appreciated!


JoAnn

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We hit Winston-Salem at 515am Saturday morning. Seems like the only vehicles on 77 S were from Ohio. I took University Parkway but everyone else took 52. Since it was before 6am they must have got thru but I was afraid to try. The GPS said this added 20 minutes to our trip down. I really don't understand why as we then took the 52 to 311 route. Thought I read on here that took time off avoiding Greensboro area. Oh well any directions I get off line always says 10 hours 30 minutes approximately. It's always closer to 12 and we aren't off road that long.
But we made it safe and sound and are enjoying. That's all that matters.

Can anyone give an update on the US 52 construction in Winston-Salem? We are leaving on Sept.1 and I was wondering if the road is or will be closed and should we take an alternate route instead. We would be coming through W-S about 6am. Thanks

Here is the link for the "official" story, concerning lane closure on 52.

Personally speaking, if you are coming thru downtown Winston between 6am and 7am on Saturday morning the 1st, you should be OK.

Traffic is usually pretty light at that time of the morning on Saturdays between the north and south ends of 52.

Hope this helps.

Greg

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Favorite quote: "Another Day, Another Buck Eighty-Five an Hour"

This is an update to the original story.

I drove to work on 52 south thru downtown last night (7-22) at 10pm, and it was smooth sailing the whole way. The construction that was going on with the ramp closures has now been somewhat completed. The highway is open now, so you should have no trouble navigating from the Virginia border to I-40 in downtown Winston.

Hope this helps.

Greg

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Favorite quote: "Another Day, Another Buck Eighty-Five an Hour"

Hey sparkieg. I was wondering if you could give me an update on the route 40/52 traffic in the Winston Salem area. I am leaving on aug 24th and was wondering if I should change routes. Thanks

Steve,

I drove south through the downtown section of 52 this past Saturday night, and the D.O.T. has rerouted traffic lanes with concrete barriers and orange barrels. Although being marked pretty well, it's still a pain.

Here's the problem though -

Road construction is rampant in Winston-Salem right now. Just about everywhere you go, something is being done construction wise. It's a pain and a headache to get wherever you want to go quickly, so being patient is something I am having to learn all over again.

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but to be honest, there is really no way around road construction on the major thoroughfares in Winston.

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Favorite quote: "Another Day, Another Buck Eighty-Five an Hour"