Business Loop I-40 - Greensboro

Business Loop I-40 in Greensboro was a short lived designation applied to the current alignment of Interstate 40 through Greensboro. Designated on February 21, 2008, the business loop was created in an attempt to both reroute Interstate 40 through traffic around the city and remove a substandard section of old I-40/85, including the infamous “Death Valley” section, from the Interstate Highway System. Death Valley was the local nickname given to the narrow interchange where the two routes met in central Greensboro.

Business Loop I-40 traveled 15.5 miles overall and the eastern eight miles overlapped with Business Loop I-85. During this time, Interstate 40 bypassed Greensboro to the southwest along a newly opened freeway (Interstate 73 / Painter Boulevard) and joined I-85 to the southeast on a section of roadway opened in January 2004. Motorist confusion and funding changes for maintenance along the newly designated business loop resulted in a second round of renumbering at Greensboro in September 2008. I-40 was relocated back through the city, Business Loop I-40 was eliminated, and U.S. 421 was realigned to bypass the city alongside I-73.