Dell road work nears completion
Before the first computer has even rolled off the Dell assembly line, Janice Collins has already seen more traffic along Union Cross Road.
With construction crews building the plant and widening nearby roads, she takes the back roads to avoid the work on her way home from her job as a clerk at the Old 311 Curb Market.
"It's kind of out of the way but it keeps me out of traffic," Collins said.
She may have to get used to those back roads.
The state plans to finish road construction at the end of August, and Dell plans to begin operations in mid-September. That will continue the dramatic change in Union Cross from a rural farming area to a major center of economic activity.
In the past nine months, the state has spent close to $9 million to prepare Union Cross Road and other roads for Dell's opening.
The state made the changes to handle the additional traffic - including a large number of trucks - going in and out of the Dell plant. Some estimates have as many as 100-150 trucks an hour entering the plant during peak hours.
Dell expects to have 300 trucks a day in and out of the plant when it reaches maximum capacity in about two years, said Michele Blood, a company spokeswoman. About 700 employees will be hired within the first year, increasing to 1,500 employees within five years.
While Union Cross Road is already used as a commuter road, Dell and the accompanying roadwork will drastically change the drive, said David Spainhour, the N.C. Department of Transportation's operations engineer in the Winston-Salem area.
"The volumes are just going to go from busy to real busy," he said.
There wasn't much in Union Cross when Paul Stephens, 77, moved to his wife's family farm 55 years ago. Union Cross Road was a dirt road back then and there were "about six houses between here and Kernersville."
The road has now been widened, inching traffic closer to Stephens' front door and to the farmland he owns with his family. A traffic signal has been added to the nearby intersection with Temple School Road. From his tomato stand, Stephens has watched traffic snarls as the state has done paving work.
"We'd like to have things quiet and peaceful like it was," Stephen said. "We don’t want congestion."
In addition to the Temple School Road intersection, drivers will have to adjust to two other signals added in the area, Spainhour said.
Dave Kapp, a plumbing contractor who lives near the intersection of Union Cross and High Point roads, said he'll use an alternate route to get to Kernersville.
"We won’t hardly be able to get through Union Cross," he said.
To get the work done in time for Dell's opening, the state had to move fast, Spainhour said. The work was broken down into small projects and done by four different contractors under several DOT departments, an unusual move, he said.
An initial estimate of $6.5 million grew to $9 million mainly due to bridges needed to alleviate environmental concerns along the truck entrance into the plant. Some upgrades were also done at the intersection of Wallburg and Union Cross roads.
In the future, Union Cross Road will be widened again to either four or six lanes. That will require lengthy studies and the purchase of homes and businesses. Construction is expected in 2009.
For now the traffic has been good for business at the Old 311 Curb Market, where Collins' brother is a part owner. Construction workers have been stopping in. And once construction is complete, they'll likely be replaced by workers at the Dell plant and truckers.
"We're going to wait and see, but we hope it will be good," Collins said, pointing to the store's one cash register. "It would be nice to be able to get another cash register."
Contact Amy Dominello at 883-4422, Ext. 248, or adominello@news-record.com
Road upgrades near the Dell plant
-Union Cross Road widened to three lanes from Interstate 40 to High Point Road, with additional right turn lanes at intersections with traffic lights.
-A new four-lane road, dubbed Dell Boulevard, will serve as a truck entrance from Union Cross Road to the Dell plant. The plant's main entrance will be on Temple School Road.
-Temple School Road was widened to four lanes from Union Cross Road to the Dell plant.
-Three new signals were added on Union Cross Road, at Dell Boulevard, Temple School Road and at the new entrance to Glenn High School.
-Improvements to the Union Cross Road interchanges of I-40 and U.S. 311 Bypass. The work at U.S. 311 was planned prior to Dell's announcement.
The work will cost close to $9 million.
Source: N.C. Department of Transportation
