Interstate 185 (South Carolina)

Interstate 185
Southern Connector
Route information
Maintained by SCDOT
Length: 17.70 mi[1] (28.49 km)
Existed: 1955 – present
Major junctions
South end: I-385 near Mauldin
 

US 276 near Mauldin

I-85 near Greenville
US 25 near Greenville
US 29 in Greenville
North end: US 29 at Henrydale Drive in Greenville
Location
Counties: Greenville
Highway system

Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System
Main • Auxiliary • Business

South Carolina highways

← SC 185 SC 186 →

Interstate 185 (I-185) is located in the city of Greenville, South Carolina. The northern portion, which ends just shy of the Greenville city limits, was opened in the 1960s and is cosigned with U.S. 29. The southern portion, which connects the I-85/I-185 interchange (exit 42) with the I-385/U.S. 276 interchange (exit 30), was opened as a toll road in 2001 ($1.25 per passenger vehicle). This extension was dubbed the "Southern Connector" and increased I-185 from three to seventeen miles (27 km) in length.

Contents

Southern Connector

The Southern Connector was constructed as a public-private partnership between the South Carolina Department of Transportation and Interwest Carolina Transportation Group, LLC, a development team that included a not-for-profit corporation called Connector 2000 Association, Inc. (C2A).[2] Under this agreement, C2A operates the toll road under a fifty year license. They were responsible for financing, designing, constructing, operating and maintaining the road during this period and the toll revenue would be used to pay them for these efforts. To finance the project, C2A sold bonds that were tax-exempt under IRS Rule 63-20, which provides that the bonds sold will be exempt if they finance an activity which is "public in nature."[3][4]

The highway opened in February 2001, nine months ahead of schedule.[5] By 2007, the Connector 2000 Association was having financial difficulties because ridership on the toll road was not meeting original estimates. In the fall of 2007, they began looking for a concessionaire to take over the operation and financial liability of the toll road.[6] By early 2008, C2A had received a default notice from their bond trustee[7] In January 2010, the bond trustee missed an interest payment,[8] and the C2A was more than $8 million behind in its payments to SCDOT for the maintenance and license fees under their agreement.[9] On June 24, 2010, the Southern Connector filed for bankruptcy.[10] Travelers on the Southern Connector can pay using electronic toll collection facilities. South Carolina uses the PalmettoPass,[11] which can be used on both the Southern Connector and the Cross Island Parkway on Hilton Head Island.

Exit list

The entire route is in Greenville County.

Location Exit # Destination Notes
Mauldin I-385 north – Greenville Southbound exit and northbound entrance
1C SC 417 – Mauldin Signed as exit 1 northbound; no northbound entrance to I-385 north
1B I-385 south – Simpsonville Southbound exit and northbound entance
1A US 276 to SC 417 – Mauldin Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Toll plaza
4 Fork Shoals Road
7 US 25 (Augusta Road) – Idlewild, Moonville Signed as exits 7A (north) and 7B (south) northbound
Piedmont 10 SC 20 (Piedmont Highway) – Greenville
Toll plaza
12 SC 153 west – Easley
14 I-85 / US 29 south – Spartanburg, Anderson South end of US 29 overlap; signed as exits 14A (north) and 14B (south)
15 US 25 (White Horse Road) – Travelers Rest
Greenville 16 Washington Avenue, Faris Road
Mills Avenue, Henrydale Avenue At-grade intersection
US 29 north (Mills Avenue) – Greenville Continuation beyond on Henrydale Avenue

References

  1. ^ "Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways as of October 31, 2002". Federal Highway Administration. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/routefinder/table2.htm. 
  2. ^ Samuel, Peter (October 26, 2007). "Greenville Southern Connector up for concession offers – not-for-profit ailing". TollRoadsNews. http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/3211. 
  3. ^ "27-in-7 Peak Performance" (PDF). SCDOT. http://www.dot.state.sc.us/inside/pdfs/27in7.pdf. 
  4. ^ Hedlund, Karen J. (May 1, 2001). "The Use of '63-20' Nonprofit Corporations in Infrastructure Facility Development". Nossaman Infrastructure. http://www.nossaman.com/showarticle.aspx?show=854. 
  5. ^ "Partners unveil Southern Connector" (Press release). Southern Connector Toll Road. February 16, 2001. http://www.southernconnector.com/press04_Feb-16-01.htm. 
  6. ^ "Request for Toll Road Concessionaire Qualifications" (PDF). Connector 2000 Association. September 27, 2007. http://www.southernconnector.com/pdfs/SCTR_RFQ2.pdf. 
  7. ^ "Notice of an Event of Default" (PDF). U.S. Bancorp. January 23, 2008. http://www.southernconnector.com/pdfs/12308%20Event%20Notice-%20Trustee.pdf. 
  8. ^ "Event Notice No. 2010-1" (PDF). Connector 2000 Association. January 11, 2010. http://www.southernconnector.com/pdfs/Event%20Notice%202010-1.pdf. 
  9. ^ "Balance Sheet" (PDF). Connector 2000 Association. September 30, 2009. http://www.southernconnector.com/pdfs/Update%20-%20September%2030%202009.pdf. 
  10. ^ Bathon, Michael; McCarty, Dawn (June 25, 2010). "Connector 2000 Association Files Bankruptcy in South Carolina". Businessweek. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-25/connector-2000-association-files-bankruptcy-in-south-carolina.html. 
  11. ^ "Palmetto Pass FAQ - Where can I use my Palmetto Pass?". Southern Connector Toll Road. http://www.southernconnector.com/Zpalpass_faqs.htm. 

External links


Major Highways in Greenville County, SC
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Major South Carolina State Highways
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