This step completes the project’s environmental review. Once a pending legal challenge is resolved, the state may begin right-of-way acquisition and construction planning, according to a news release from the N.C. Department of Transportation.

The Northern Beltway consists of a western portion from U.S. 158 north to U.S. 52 and an eastern portion from U.S. 52 north of Winston-Salem to U.S. 311 southeast of Winston-Salem. The project may cost more than $1 billion.

Having work start on the Northern Beltway has long been seen as a requisite step before improvements can upgrade U.S. 52 to interstate status on what’s designated as the Interstate 74, or I-74, corridor between Mount Airy and Winston-Salem.

None of the contracts are for projects in Surry County, but Smith-Rowe Inc. of Mount Airy had four winning bids.

The contracts are to:

• Replace the bridge on Rivermont Road (S.R. 1402) over Nancy Rhodes Creek between Cole Mill Road and Rose of Sharon Road in Durham County. Work on the $539,351 project is scheduled to start between March 3 and May 15, and be finished within 180 days.
• Replace the Wallburg-High Point Road (S.R. 1741) bridge over Spurgeon Creek in Thomasville. Work on the $1.2-million project may begin as early as March 3, with final completion scheduled for Nov. 15.
• Replace the N.C. 801 bridge over Fulton Creek in Davie County. Work on the $1.2-million project may begin as early as March 3, with final completion scheduled for June 15, 2009.
• Replace the Mitzpah Church Road (S.R. 1631) bridge over Muddy Creek near Rural Hall in Forsyth County. Work on the $598,671 project may begin between March 15 and June 1, with final completion set for 135 days after work begins.

Now in its 25th year, Smith-Rowe Inc. specializes in bridge, tunnel and elevated highway construction. The company employs about 75 people. Dun & Bradstreets estimates its annual sales at $12.5 million. David Rowe is the company’s president.

The next NCDOT board meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, March 6, in Room 150 of the Transportation Building at the corner of Wilmington and Morgan streets in downtown Raleigh. On Wednesday, March 5, board committees will begin meeting at 8:30 a.m.

The company provides general freight hauling and also lowboy trailers for transporting vehicles, heavy equipment and specialized machinery. It make deliveries and pickups in all of the “lower 48″ states.

LGS Transport’s new headquarters will double as a maintenance facility for its parent company, Sawyers Sign Service owned by Larry G. Sawyers at 483 Belvue Drive.

Sawyers Sign Service, established in 1992, is a complete sign installation and manufacturing company. It employs graphic artists, sales representatives and fabrication and installation crews and can guide clients through original imaging to final installation. The company is a state-licensed general contractor and engineer as well as a UL-certified manufacturer.

Sawyers Sign’s services include brand conversions, expert sign design and all aspects of sign construction, zoning research and permit acquisition. Its products include canopy fascias, digital signs, high-rise signs, pylon signs, decals, interior graphics, and lighted panaflex. All are constructed from durable materials such as metal. ACM, and vinyl.

From its base in Mount Airy, N.C., Sawyers Sign Service serves clients throughout the southeastern United States.

The first southbound bus leaves Mount Airy Plaza (behind the Shell station off U.S. 52) at 5:48 a.m.

For more route information, call 336-883-7278 or visit PART’s Surry County Express web site.

The former trucking company, now transformed into a full-service transportation company with an emphasis on distribution management, bought the warehouse in May after leasing it for a year.

“The investment is apparently paying off, with the company debuting at No. 37 in this year’s Fast 50,” writes The Business Journal of the Greater Triad in a special 36-page supplement published Sept. 28. “Revenues grew by more than 55 percent versus 2005.”

Company President and CEO David Eshelman said Salem Logistics more than doubled its trucking fleet, from 12 to 25 vehicles, to help handle the business created by its distribution center, which is used primarily for retail and Internet fulfillment.

“It was kind of a synergistic situation in that … the growth in our warehousing led to the growth in our trucking,” Eshelman told The Business Journal.

Salem Logistics also added 40 employees, bringing its workforce to more than 120.

The company’s outlook for 2007 is very good, Eshelman said. In May it signed a contract to provide shipping services to Nationwide Marketing Group, a purchasing and marketing group for independent appliance and electronics stores. Also, as SurryBusiness.com previously reported, Salem Logistics won a contract this month to manage transportation and logistics for furniture manufacturer Klaussner Home Furnishings.

Klaussner, the North Carolina Triad’s largest furniture manufacturer, is launching a major new retail initiative that will increase its logistics requirements, the company explained. Salem Logistics’ services will be phased in over coming months, beginning with all out-bound shipments to retailers from Klaussner’s Asheboro factories.

Salem Logistics’ wholly owned subsidiary Winston Distribution LLC (since renamed Salem Logistics Distribution Services) purchased the former Armtex plant in Pilot Mountain in 2006 after leasing the facility for a year.

Dave Riley, vice president of operations for Winston Distribution, said at the time, “We chose Pilot Mountain to complement our other services. Salem Logistics also owns a trucking company. We found with Pilot Mountain between I-40 and I-77 and near I-85 and I-81 that we could bring shipments in from the West Coast and Pilot Mountain made a good pivot point to go either north or south with little out-of-route miles.”

“It’s been deemed a very viable location,” he added, “and we also saw a good workforce there to pull from.”

“Customers can discharge there and we can store the shipments, consolidate them into different shipments or whatever. We can also consolidate shipments from various areas on the East Coast to send them to the West,” he said. At the Pilot Mountain hub, the company can unload shipments that need to be divided and pair them with other shipments going the same direction, enabling trucks to run with full loads and minimizing costs for customers.

“It’s another way to diversify and provide one-stop shopping and create savings for our customers through our expertise in distribution” said Riley.

“Having our own distributions center system allows us to offer a total third-party logistics package,” said Dave Eshelman, president of Winston-Salem-based Salem Logistics, in a company release last fall. “We built the business on computer-driven logistics planning and added our own carrier fleet in 2003. Now, by having our own warehouse and distribution capabilities, we can put the final piece in place for a full 360-degree service.”

Founded in 1985, Salem Logistics was one of the first third-party logistics companies in the country. Started as a shipper freight bill auditing service, it grew into a full-service organization with a unique freight management system that provides unparalleled freight control and savings for customers all over the country. For eight years in a row, Inbound Magazine has named Salem Logistics as one of the Top 100 3PL (third-party logistics) providers in the United States.

RTO Online.com interviewed Eschelman in August about Salem Logistics. You can see the video here.

Adams Construction’s Mountain Division plant is at 381 Quarry Road in Mount Airy. Richard Henderson is the local manager.