Carolina Curious: Why are there no lights on Interstate 40 through Winston-Salem?

For this edition of Carolina Curious, WFDD listener Chad Minton wants to know why there are no lights on Interstate 40 through Winston-Salem.

It’s true that there are many dark patches along I-40 through the open stretches of the Winston-Salem area. That’s due to the fact that, like much of North Carolina's rural and suburban interstate system, the roadway does not have continuous overhead lighting along the way. But you will find lighting at most major interchanges and overpasses. 

Roger Sockman is with the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s 9th Division, which covers Forsyth County. He says while an interstate lighting study is not yet underway, it is on their priority list. 

“We'd have to count the number of vehicles, maybe the number of pedestrians, the number of large trucks, the large number of large semi trucks, and we'd have to go in and do a detailed study with our traffic engineers,” says Sockman.

In the meantime, DOT engineers are currently looking at the Salem Parkway stretch formerly known as Business 40. Sockman says the current study could result in installing additional lighting. Once they have the final results in hand, they will determine when and where the new lights, if any, should go. He says he expects the study to wrap up over the next few months.