Wilmington to winston salem (Raleigh, Winston-Salem: drive, traffic, street)

[laura803]

I am travelling from Wilmington to Winston Salem in the morning hours. I40 would normally be the fastest route, but I'm wondering if traffic through Raleigh around 7-8am is bad enough that I need to take another route? I have to be in Winston by 10am and am trying to get there as quickly as possible.

[NM posts]

It can be bad around 8 a.m. If you can time it so you get there closer to 7 a.m., that's a good idea ... traffic can get pretty bad between the Saunders Street exits and the Davis Drive one.

[arbyunc]

As an alternative, you can take US 74/I-74 to Rockingham, then I-73/I-74 north through Asheboro to Winston-Salem. Be sure to exit onto I-74 towards Winston-Salem just north of Asheboro. Without traffic considerations, this route takes the same amount of time as taking I-40 through Raleigh. It should save you quite a bit of time over hitting Raleigh at rush hour.

[rmhpmi]

Definitely consider taking arbyunc's suggestion, especially at the time of day you are planning. The 73/74 route from Asheboro to Winston-Salem is very nice now.