Interstate 85 in North Carolina

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Interstate 85
Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Length: 233 mi (337 km)
South end: I-85 at the SC line at Grover, NC
Major
junctions:		 US 74 near Kings Mountain
US 321 in Gastonia
I-485 in Charlotte (twice)
I-77 in Charlotte
US 52 near Lexington
I-85 Bus near Lexington and Greensboro
I-40 in Greensboro and near Hillsborough
North end: I-85 at the VA line near Norlina, NC
< NC 84 NC NC 86 >

In 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..

Contents

[edit] 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.

[edit] Major cities

Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs.

[edit] 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.[1]

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:[2]

  • 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.[3]

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.

[edit] Auxiliary routes

[edit] Exit list

County Location # Destinations Notes
Cleveland 2 NC 216 – Kings Mountain National Military Park
4 US 29 south (NC 216) South end of US 29 overlap; southbound exit and northbound entrance
5 Dixon School Road
8 NC 161 – Kings Mountain
Gaston 10 US 29 north / US 74 – Kings Mountain, Shelby North end of US 29 overlap; signed as exits 10A (north/east) and 10B (west)
13 Edgewood Road - Bessemer City
Gastonia 14 NC 274 – East Bessemer City, West Gastonia
17 US 321 – Gastonia, Lincolnton
19 NC 7 – East Gastonia
20 NC 279 (New Hope Road) – Dallas
21 Cox Road - Ranlo
22 Cramerton, Lowell
23 NC 7 – Lowell, McAdenville
Bridge over the South Fork of the Catawba River
26 Mount Holly, Belmont, Belmont Abbey College (NC 7) Former NC 273
27 NC 273 – Belmont, Mount Holly
Bridge over the Catawba River (Lake Wylie)
Mecklenburg
29 Sam Wilson Road
30 I-485 to I-77 – Pineville Signed as exits 30A (south) and 30B (north) westbound
Charlotte 32 Little Rock Road
33 Billy Graham Parkway (Route 4) - Charlotte/Douglas International Airport
34 NC 27 (Freedom Drive) / Tuckaseegee Road
35 Glenwood Drive
36 NC 16 (Brookshire Boulevard) to US 74 east – Downtown Charlotte
37 Beatties Ford Road - Johnson C. Smith University
38 I-77 / US 21 – Statesville, Columbia
39 Statesville Avenue/Road Former US 21
40 Graham Street
41 Sugar Creek Road (Route 4)
42 To US 29 / NC 49 Northbound exit and southbound entrance
43 City Boulevard
45 NC 24 (Harris Boulevard) Signed as exits 45A (east) and 45B (west)
46 Mallard Creek Church Road Signed as exits 46A (east) and 46B (west) northbound
48 I-485 south - Rock Hill
Cabarrus Concord 49 Speedway Boulevard, Concord Mills Boulevard
52 Poplar Tent Road
54 George W. Liles Parkway, Kannapolis Parkway
55 NC 73 – Concord, Huntersville
58 US 29 / US 601 – Kannapolis, Concord
60 Dale Earnhardt Boulevard, Copperfield Boulevard
63 Kannapolis
Rowan 68 US 29 / US 601 south / NC 152 – China Grove, Rockwell South end of US 601 overlap
70 Webb Road
71 Peeler Road
72 Peach Orchard Road
74 Julian Road
Salisbury 75 US 601 north (Jake Alexander Boulevard) – Rowan-Cabarrus Community College North Campus North end of US 601 overlap
76 US 52 south – Albemarle, Salisbury South end of US 52 overlap; signed as exits 76A (south) and 76B (north)
79 Spencer, East Spencer
81 Spencer
Bridge over the Yadkin River
Davidson
83 US 29 south / US 70 west / NC 150 west – Spencer South end of US 29/US 70/NC 150 overlap; southbound exit and northbound entrance
83 NC 150 east North end of NC 150 overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance
85 Clark Road
86 Belmont Road
87 I-85 Bus. north / US 52 north (US 29 north, US 70 east) – Lexington, Winston-Salem North end of US 29/US 52/US 70 overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance
Lexington 88 NC 47 east – High Rock Lake, Linwood
91 NC 8 – Lexington, Southmont
94 Old US 64
96 US 64 – Asheboro, Lexington
Thomasville 102 Lake Road
103 NC 109 – Thomasville
Randolph 106 Finch Farm Road
108 Hopewell Church Road - Trinity
111 US 311 – Archdale, Downtown High Point
Guilford 113 NC 62 – Archdale
118 I-85 Bus. south / US 29 south / US 70 west – High Point South end of I-85 Bus./US 29/US 70 overlap
119 Groometown Road to Grandover Parkway Signed as exit 122A southbound
120A I-85 Bus. north / US 29 north / US 70 east to I-40 Bus. – Greensboro North end of I-85 Bus./US 29/US 70 overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance
120B I-40 west / I-73 north – Winston-Salem Signed as exit 121 southbound
South end of I-40 overlap
122 US 220 – Greensboro, Asheboro Southbound exit and northbound entrance; signed as exits 122B (south) and 122C (north); future I-73 south
124 South Elm-Eugene Street
126 US 421 – Sanford Signed as exits 126A (south) and 126B (north)
128 Alamance Church Road
129 Youngs Mill Road
131 I-40 Bus. west / I-85 Bus. south to US 70 (via I-840) – Greensboro
132 Mount Hope Church Road
135 Rock Creek Dairy Road
138 NC 61 – Gibsonville
Alamance 140 University Drive - Elon
Burlington 141 Huffman Mill Road
143 NC 62 – Downtown Burlington, Alamance
145 NC 49 – Downtown Burlington, Liberty
Graham 147 NC 87 – Graham, Pittsboro
148 NC 54 – Chapel Hill, Carrboro
Bridge over the Haw River
150 Haw River
152 Trollingwood Road
153 NC 119 – Mebane
154 Mebane-Oaks Road - Mebane
Orange 157 Buckhorn Road
160 Efland
161 To US 70 / NC 86 north
North end of I-40 overlap
163 I-40 east – Raleigh
164 Hillsborough Old NC 86
165 NC 86 – Chapel Hill, Hillsborough
170 US 70 west West end of US 70 overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
170 To NC 751 (US 70 Bus. east) – Duke University Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
Durham Durham 172 NC 147 south – Downtown Durham, Research Triangle Park–North Carolina Central University Northbound exit and southbound entrance
173 Cole Mill Road
174B US 15 south / US 501 south – Chapel Hill South end of US 15/US 501 overlap; southbound exit and northbound entrance
174A Hillandale Road
175 NC 157 (Guess Road)
176A North Gregson Street
176B US 501 north (Duke Street) – Roxboro North end of US 501 overlap
177
US 15 Bus. south / US 501 Bus. (North Roxboro Street) / NC 55 east (Avondale Drive) –North Carolina Central University
178 US 70 east – RDU Airport, Raleigh

North end of US 70 overlap
179 East Club Boulevard
180 Glenn School Road
182 Red Mill Road
183 Redwood Road
Bridge over the Neuse River (Falls Lake)
Granville 184 US 15 north – Creedmoor, Butner North end of US 15 overlap; signed as exits 184A (US 15) and 184B (Butner) northbound, and as exit 186 southbound
189 Butner
191 NC 56 – Butner, Creedmoor
202 US 15 – Oxford, Clarksville
204 NC 96 – Oxford
206 US 158 – Oxford, Roxboro
Vance 209 Poplar Creek Road
Henderson 212 Ruin Creek Road
213 Dabney Drive - Henderson Northbound exit and southbound entrance
213
US 158 Byp. west / Dabney Drive		 South end of US 158 Byp. overlap; southbound exit and northbound entrance
214 NC 39 – Downtown Henderson
215
US 158 Byp. east		 North end of US 158 Byp. overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance
215 Parham Road No northbound exit
217 Satterwhite Point
218 US 1 south – Raleigh Southbound exit and northbound entrance
220 US 1 / US 158 / Fleming Road – Norlina
Warren 223 Manson Road
226 Ridgeway Road
229 Oine Road
223 US 1 / US 401 – Wise, Norlina

[edit] References

  1. ^ North Carolina Department of Transportation. Facts: Interstate 85, Page 1. NCDOT Web site. Accessed April 21, 2007.
  2. ^ North Carolina Department of Transportation. Facts: Interstate 85, Page 1. NCDOT Web site. Accessed April 21, 2007.
  3. ^ North Carolina Department of Transportation. Facts: Interstate 85, Page 2. NCDOT Web site. Accessed April 21, 2007.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Major highways of Metro Charlotte
Interstate 85
Previous state:
South Carolina		 North Carolina Next state:
Virginia