GREENSBORO, N.C. — If you're looking to drive around Greensboro, you might be able to get where you're going a bit faster.

What You Need To Know

  • Greensboro's Urban Loop, whch goes back to 2002, was expected to be completed in spring

  • But the project is ahead of schedule and may be finished as soon as next week

  • One business along the loop has nicknamed it the Cupcake Expressway

This month the new Urban Loop (Interstate 840) is opening. The project goes back to 2002.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation says it wasn't expected to be completed until this spring, but it is ahead of schedule.

DeeDee Williams owns My Sweet Little Bake Shop in the area, which she says is a prime location.

"It was a good location for business and then obviously having gate 40 open up," Williams said. 

And she has a special name for it.

"We call it the Cupcake Expressway to everyone," Williams said. 

With the new Urban Loop, travelers will have another option for getting from one side of Greensboro to the other. By 2040, the N.C. DOT projects the loop will be traveled by 96,400 vehicles per day. 

"So them being able to open up the rest of the expressway is huge," Williams said. "Because it's going to be able to expand. How easy we are for customers to come to us."

The highway is expected to be finished as soon as Jan. 20.

The project costs about $500 million, which comes from a combination of state and federal funds.