Interstate 85 in North Carolina

Infobox road
state=NC
route=85
type=I

length_mi=233
length_round=2
direction_a=South
terminus_a=Jct|state=SC|I|85 at

South Carolina state line
junction=Jct|state=NC|US|74 near Kings Mountain
Jct|state=NC|US|321 in Gastonia
Jct|state=NC|I|485 in Charlotte (twice)
Jct|state=NC|I|77 in Charlotte
Jct|state=NC|US|52 near Lexington
Jct|state=NC|BL|85 near Lexington
Jct|state=NC|I|73 in Greensboro
Jct|state=NC|US|421 in Greensboro
Jct|state=NC|I|40 east of Greensboro and west of Durham
Jct|state=NC|US|15 in Durham
Jct|state=NC|US|501 in Durham
Jct|state=NC|US|1 in Henderson
direction_b=North
terminus_b=Jct|state=VA|I|85 at Virginia state line
previous_type=NC
previous_route=84
next_type=NC
next_route=86In North Carolina, Interstate 85 scales the state for 233 miles (337 kilometers) from the South Carolina border to the Virginia border. As the second-longest interstate in the state (behind Interstate 40), it provides an important link between the cities of Atlanta, Georgia, Charlotte, Greensboro, Richmond, Virginia and Washington, D.C..

Route description

I-85 enters the state from Cherokee County, South Carolina near Grover in Cleveland County. After only a few miles, the highway enters Gaston County, which is part of the Charlotte metropolitan area.

Near Kings Mountain, I-85 turns from a northeast trajectory to an eastward one and goes through Gastonia before crossing the Catawba River and entering Charlotte. At Gastonia, the highway widens from four to six lanes and keeps the number of lanes until it reaches Belmont, where the highway widens again to eight lanes.

In Charlotte, I-85 passes close to Charlotte-Douglas International Airport and goes by a number of retail centers before turning northeastward again just west of Uptown Charlotte. The highway bypasses the downtown area, but several exits do provide access to the area. A partial wrong-way interchange exists at the exit with Interstate 77 north of Uptown and I-85 continues northeastward through Concord and Kannapolis.

Just northeast of the Charlotte area is the Triad area, anchored by the cities of Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point. I-85 bypasses High Point and also largely bypasses Greensboro. Up until February 2004, I-85 went through the heart of Greensboro and joined Interstate 40 near downtown. Today, I-85 is routed along the Greensboro Urban Loop and meets I-40 east of downtown. Its former route is now known as Business 85.

Interstates 85 and 40 remain joined as they continue eastward to the Triangle region, anchored by the cities of Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh. West of Durham near Hillsborough, the two highways split, with I-40 heading southeast toward Chapel Hill and Raleigh while I-85 continues eastward through Durham, then northeastward as it exits the city. The highway bypasses Oxford and Henderson before crossing into Mecklenburg County, Virginia.

Major cities

Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs.

* Spartanburg, South Carolina (southwest of Charlotte)
* Gastonia
* Charlotte
* Concord
* Kannapolis
* Salisbury
* Lexington
* Thomasville
* Greensboro
* Burlington
* "'Durham
* Henderson
* Petersburg, Virginia and Richmond, Virginia (northeast of Durham; I-85 ends in Petersburg, but motorists may continue towards Richmond via I-95)

History

Parts of Interstate 85 were already constructed before federal aid was available in the 1950s, as the state had been constructing sections of the interstate system since 1949. The Lexington Bypass south of Lexington - which at the time was signed U.S. 29 and U.S. 70 - is now a part of I-85. [North Carolina Department of Transportation. [http://www.ncdot.org/public/50thanniv/ncinterstates/download/factsI85.pdf Facts: Interstate 85] , Page 1. NCDOT Web site. Accessed April 21, 2007.]

The first section of I-85 opened to traffic on September 9, 1958 when an 11.3-mile stretch in Mecklenburg County was opened.

The year 1960 saw several sections of the highway open to traffic: [North Carolina Department of Transportation. [http://www.ncdot.org/public/50thanniv/ncinterstates/download/factsI85.pdf Facts: Interstate 85] , Page 1. NCDOT Web site. Accessed April 21, 2007.]

* An 18.3-mile section of Interstate 85 between Henderson and the Virginia border as well as a 46-mile section between Greensboro and western Durham opened to traffic.
* A 15.4-mile portion of the U.S. 29/U.S. 70 Salisbury Bypass between Salisbury and Greensboro was incorporated into I-85 when further grade separations and access control was completed
* A 14-mile segment of I-85 known as the "Charlotte Bypass" in Charlotte.
* A 13.8-mile segment between Greensboro and Whisett.

By 1965, I-85 from the South Carolina border to Charlotte was complete, while it took until 1970 for the section between Charlotte and Durham to be completed. However, the "Temporary 85" designation would remain on the segment between Lexington and Greensboro until 1984 because there were too many access roads. That year, a new six-lane section opened, resulting in the "Temporary 85" designation to be dropped. [North Carolina Department of Transportation. [http://www.ncdot.org/public/50thanniv/ncinterstates/download/factsI85.pdf Facts: Interstate 85] , Page 2. NCDOT Web site. Accessed April 21, 2007.]

Since its completion, many widening projects have been undertaken on I-85, particularly along the stretch of highway between Gastonia and Durham. In addition, Interstate 85 has recently been relocated onto the new, but unfinished Greensboro Urban Loop in the Greensboro area, having through traffic bypass that city's downtown area.

Auxiliary routes

* .
* , a 46-mile partially complete beltway that will emcompass Charlotte in Mecklenburg County when completed in the mid- to late-2010s.
* . Construction is slated to begin in 2011.

Exit list

References

External links

* [http://www.ncdot.org/it/gis/DataDistribution/StateTravelMap/insets.html State Travel Map Insets (Cities)] - courtesy of the NCDOT.
* [http://www.ncdot.org/it/gis/DataDistribution/StateTravelMap/counties.html State Travel Map Images By County] - courtesy of the NCDOT.
* [http://www.southeastroads.com/i-085e_nc.html North Carolina @ SouthEastRoads.com - Interstate 85 Southbound]
* [http://www.southeastroads.com/i-085_nc.html North Carolina @ SouthEastRoads.com - Interstate 85 (has extra links to various segments of I-85 north]