Silas Creek Parkway (Winston-Salem)

Silas Creek Parkway is a road in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Despite the name saying that the whole route is a Parkway, the road is actually hybrid in character: The road (mostly on the northern section) is like an expressway as it has a mix of interchanges and not so many traffic light-controlled intersections, but like a parkway (hence the name) as the most of the northern section has landscaped design, the road is also like a boulevard (mostly on the southern section) as there is direct access to many of the adjacent properties and places such as, the Forsyth County Medical Center, Hanes Mall, Forsyth Tech, and Marketplace Mall. One section of the road is a short freeway.

Silas Creek Parkway
Route information
HistoryOpened in 1961
Component
highways
  • NC 67 from Peters Creek Parkway to Reynolda Road
Major junctions
North endBethabara Road/North Point Boulevard
 
South endSouth Main Street
Location
CountiesForsyth
Highway system

Route description

The road starts at the North Point Boulevard/Bethabara Road intersection near Historic Bethabara. The road continues as an expressway with a speed limit of 50 miles per hour (80 km/h)} The expressway then passes the Reynolda Road (NC 67) and Polo Road interchanges. NC 67 is also placed on the expressway at the interchange. The speed limit of the road then downgrades to 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) passing multiple residential intersections. The road then passes an interchange with Robinhood Road. The road then become a parkway passing multiple intersections. The road then pass a two quadrant interchange with Country Club Road. The northern side of the road connects to Tiseland Road which is a connector to Country Club Road. The road becomes a freeway with a Cloverleaf interchange with US 421 (also known as Salem Parkway). The freeway then passes an Folded Diamond interchange with US 158 (also known as Stratford Road). The freeway than downgrades to a boulevard giving access to major places such as Forsyth Medical Center and Hanes Mall. The road shortly becomes an expressway again passing another interchange with Bolton Street. Though the expressway shortly ends after passing the interchange. The road then head near the Forsyth Tech area. The road then pass the NC 150 (Peters Creek Parkway) at-grade intersection where NC 67 ends. The road continues with the I-40 ramp. The road then become a local street before ending at the South Main Street intersection.

History

Beginnings

On October 5, 1959, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (known as the State Highway Commission at the time) approved spending $500,000 to build a beltway on the outskirts of Winston-Salem. It would run between the what was then the new Forsyth Memorial Hospital and the Wetsern Electric Company plant at Reynolda Road. The name of the project was Silas Creek Parkway. The parkway would be ushering in suburban development on the western side of the city and pushing the city's borders west. The parkway opened on November 4, 1961. By 1963, the parkway was being widened to four lanes all along its route[1]

New Expressway extension

In 1985, The Polo Road-Reynolda Road Area Plan, prepared by the City-County Planning Board was adopted by the city-County Planning Board and the Winston-Salem Board of Winston-Salem Board of Aldermen following a public hearing. There was an endorsement of the proposed full extension of the Silas Creek Parkway adopted from the 1983 study, with a 1991/1993 implementation date. It was also planned to build a new interchange with Reynolda Road on the extension.[2] The extension was completed in 1991. The extension had an expressway grade with new bridges and a new interchange with Reynolda Road like planned. The old northern terminus became another interchange to Reynolda Road. The new northern terminus was at the at-grade intersection with North Point Boulevard and Bethabara Road near Historic Bethabara.

Major junctions

The entire route is in Winston-Salem, Forsyth County.

mikmDestinationsNotes
South Main StreetSouthern Terminus
I-40 – Greensboro
NC 150 (Peters Creek Parkway)Eastbound end of NC 67; at-grade intersection
Bolton StreetFolded Diamond interchange
Begin freeway
US 158 (Stratford Road)Folded diamond interchange
US 421 (Salem Parkway)Cloverleaf interchange
End freeway
Country Club RoadTwo Quadrants Interchange; northbound via Tiseland Drive
Robinhood RoadInterchange
NC 67 (Reynolda Road) / Polo RoadInterchange; access to Reynolda Road and Polo Road via Fairlawn Drive, Sunnynoll Court, or Wake Forest Road; westbound end of NC 67; Polo Road is unsigned. To Wake Forest University.
North Point Boulevard / Bethabara RoadNorthern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
  1. https://journalnow.com/news/local/northwest-almanac-early-days-of-silas-creek-parkway/article_0a2efef4-5413-5df3-ad61-67843005d45b.html
  2. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Silas_Creek_Parkway_Completion_Winston_S/Esc1AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=silas+creek+parkway+1991/1993&pg=PA12&printsec=frontcover
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