Interstate 85 in North Carolina

Interstate 85
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length:	234.6 mi[1] (377.6 km)
Existed:	1958 – present
Major junctions
South end:	I-85 at the SC line near Blacksburg, SC
	I‑485 in Charlotte (twice) I‑77 / US 21 in Charlotte I‑85 Bus. / US 29 / US 52 / US 70 near Lexington I‑74 / US 311 near Archdale I‑73 / US 421 in Greensboro I‑40 in Greensboro US 15 / US 501 in Durham US 1 in Henderson
North end:	I‑85 at the VA line near Bracey, VA
Location
Counties:	Cleveland, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Rowan, Davidson, Randolph, Guilford, Alamance, Orange, Durham, Granville, Vance, Warren
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future North Carolina Highway System Interstate U.S. State Scenic ← NC 84 NC 86 →

In the U.S. state of North Carolina, Interstate 85 (I-85) scales the state for 234.6 miles (377.6 km) from the South Carolina border to the Virginia border. As the second-longest interstate in the state (behind Interstate 40), it links the three largest metropolitan areas in North Carolina: Metrolina, the Piedmont Triad, and the Research Triangle. Nine of the twenty largest municipalities in the state lie along I-85, and it connects those cities to Richmond, Virginia to the north, and Upstate South Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia to the south.

Route description

I-85 enters the state from Cherokee County, South Carolina near Grover in Cleveland County, which is part of the Charlotte metropolitan area. After only a few miles, the highway enters Gaston County. Near Kings Mountain, I-85 turns from a northeast trajectory to an eastward one and goes through Gastonia, where it widens from four to six lanes. It stays at six lanes until it reaches Belmont, where the highway widens again to eight lanes.

The highway crosses the Catawba River just before entering Charlotte. It passes north of 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.

The highway actually lies within the city limits of Charlotte for most of its route through Mecklenburg County. As a result, none of the exit signs list "Charlotte" as a destination for the intersecting routes. This can be confusing to motorists not familiar with the region, who often don't realize that they are actually within the city limits of Charlotte when searching for an exit that will take them to Bank of America Stadium, Time Warner Cable Arena, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, or other destinations in Uptown. The route through Charlotte traverses a heavily commercialized section in the northern portion of the city that is more suburban than urban in character, with light industry such as truck terminals, warehouses, small manufacturing facilities, and small office parks lining the highway. It also passes by the University City area and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

After Charlotte, I-85 continues northeastward into Cabarrus County, passing through the cities of Concord and Kannapolis. It drops from eight to four lanes between exit 55 (near Concord and Huntersville) and exit 68 near the Rowan County town of China Grove, at which point it increases to eight lanes again.

Between Exits 96 and 102, the northbound and southbound lanes switch places. The southbound lane crosses over the northbound lane just before the northbound lane passes over a small bridge over Hamby Creek. East of the northbound overpass and southbound underpass with Squire Bowers Road, a pair of rest areas which contain the North Carolina Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park are entered from the right, but are still in the median. Only after the underpasses beneath Johnstown Road does the northbound lane run over the southbound one returning to its proper location.

Approximately 70 miles (110 km) 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 through Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh while I-85 continues eastward through Durham, then northeastward as it exits the city. In between Greensboro and Durham, 85/40 is 8 lanes wide even through the more suburban stretches. Once 85 hits Durham is widens to 10 lanes. It takes on a more suburban character once it leaves Durham, bypassing Oxford and Henderson before crossing into Mecklenburg County, Virginia.

Dedicated and memorial names

Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Transportation Gene Conti and NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon unveiling a sign for the Jeff Gordon Expressway

I-85 in North Carolina feature a few dedicated or memorialized stretches of freeway.

• Blue Star Memorial Highway – official North Carolina honorary name of Interstate 85 throughout the state (approved: May 5, 1967).^[2][3]
• Richard Childress Freeway - official North Carolina name of I-85 from exit 96 to exit 102 in Davidson County.^[4]
• Jeff Gordon Expressway – official North Carolina name of I-85 from Charlotte city limit to the Mecklenburg/Cabarrus county line in Northeast Mecklenburg County (1.6 mi (2.6 km)).^[5] It is named in honor of NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon (dedicated May 25, 2012).^[6][7][8][9]
• Congressman J. Howard Coble Highway – official North Carolina name of I-85 from I-40 to Alamance Church Road in Guilford County (approved: December 1, 2016). It is named in honor of Congressman Howard Coble, who represented North Carolina's 6th district for 30 years.^[10]
• Sam Hunt Freeway – official North Carolina name of I-85/I-40 from the Guilford County line to one mile east of NC 54 in Graham (approved: September 5, 1997).^[3]
• Bob Timberlake Freeway - official North Carolina name of I-85 from exit 92 to exit 96 in Davidson County.^[4]
• Senator Marshall Arthur Rauch Highway – official North Carolina name of Interstate 85 through Gaston County (approved: October 3, 1997)^[3]
• William James Pharr Bridge – official North Carolina name of Bridge over South Fork River on Interstate 85 in Gaston County (approved: August 5, 1994).^[3]
• Cameron Morrison Bridge – official North Carolina name of Bridge over Catawba River on Interstate 85 between Gaston and Mecklenburg counties (approved: March 11, 1983). It is named in honor of Cameron A. Morrison, known as the Good Roads Governor.^[3]
• Yadkin River Veterans Memorial Bridge – official North Carolina name of Bridge over Yadkin River on Interstate 85 between Rowan and Davidson counties (approved: May 11, 2011).^[11]

History

I-40/85 through Burlington

I-85 passing through Durham

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 Highway System since 1949. The Lexington Bypass north of Lexington - which at the time was signed U.S. 29 and U.S. 70 - is now a part of Business I-85.^[12] This was part of an 80-mile expressway completed in 1955 between Salisbury and Hillsboro.^[13]

One planned road was the Salisbury bypass, 15 miles (24 km) long with a $1 million 880-foot (270 m) twin-span bridge over the Yadkin River. Construction on the bridge started in 1955 (this date is shown on a plaque, and most sources have used the date), but the lanes were not as wide as federal standards required, and the road had a sharp curve north of the bridge. Both of these characteristics saved money.

The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 provided for 90 percent federal funding of highways that would become part of the Interstate Highway System, and the N.C. Highway Commission used the funds to build the rest of the highway, which opened as I-85 in 1958. The bridge, finished a year earlier, was "grandfathered" despite not meeting standards. Also designated as I-85 was the bypass around Charlotte.^[14]

Another section of I-85 opened to traffic on September 9, 1958 when an 11.3-mile (18.2 km) stretch in Mecklenburg County was opened.

The year 1960 saw several sections of the highway open to traffic:^[12]

• An 18.3-mile (29.5 km) section of Interstate 85 between Henderson and the Virginia border as well as a 46-mile (74 km) section between Greensboro and western Durham opened to traffic.
• A 15.4-mile portion of U.S. 29/U.S. 70 between Salisbury and Greensboro was incorporated into I-85 when further grade separations and access control was completed
• A 14-mile (23 km) segment of I-85 known as the "Charlotte Bypass" in Charlotte.
• A 13.8-mile (22.2 km) 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.^[15]

Since its completion, many widening projects have been undertaken on I-85, particularly along the stretch of highway between Gastonia and Durham. By 1988, widening I-85 to six lanes from Greensboro to Burlington was being considered.^[16] The plan was later changed to eight lanes.^[17] The $175 million project began in 1989. With the opening of a 2.3-mile (3.7 km) section in Alamance County on November 23, 1994, 21 miles (34 km) of I-85/I-40 were eight lanes. An additional 14 miles (23 km) were to be ready by 1996, giving the interstate eight lanes all the way to where I-40 turned southward at Hillsborough.^[18]

In addition, Interstate 85 was relocated in 2004, south of Greensboro, forming part of the Greensboro Urban Loop, allowing through traffic to bypass that city's downtown area. Between 2004 and 2008, I-85 was widened to eight lanes around Salisbury.^[14]

The I-85 Corridor Improvement Project, located in Rowan County and Davidson County, was a two-phase project to replace the narrow bridge over the Yadkin River and widen the freeway from four to eight lanes.^[19] In the first phase, all traffic from the old bridge moved to a new $201 million bridge in August 2012.^[14] On March 9, 2013, all eight lanes of the I-85 bridge opened to the public.^[20] The project finished eight months ahead of schedule and $44 million under budget.^[21]

From May 2010 through April 2014, I-85 was widened from four to eight lanes between exit 49 (near Charlotte Motor Speedway and Concord Mills Mall) and Exit 55.^[22]

Current projects

Following the completion of the widening of I-85 between exits 49 and 55, a new project was started to widen I-85 from exit 55 (NC 73) in Concord, Cabarrus County northward to exit 68 (NC 152) in China Grove, Rowan County. Like the prior project, I-85 is being doubled in capacity, expanding from two travel lanes in each direction to four travel lanes in each direction. The project is currently underway, with the first phase (from Exit 55 to Exit 63) begun in Spring 2014, and the second phase (from Exit 63 to Exit 68) begun in Spring 2017.^[23] Construction is scheduled to be completed by December 2017.^[24] When finished, that will leave I-85 in North Carolina with at least six lanes of highway between Exits 10 (US 29 north / US 74 – Kings Mountain, Shelby) and 164 (I-40 in Hillsborough).

Auxiliary routes in North Carolina

	Interstate	City	Type	Notes
	Interstate 85 Business	Lexington, High Point, and Greensboro	Business loop	Expressway grade from Lexington-High Point, freeway grade in Greensboro
	Interstate 285	Winston-Salem	Connector	Future, currently under construction
	Interstate 485	Charlotte	Beltway	Beltway
	Interstate 785	Greensboro and Danville	Spur	Currently a 2.21-mile (3.56 km) stub in eastern Guilford County; to be extended
	Interstate 885	Durham	Connector	Proposed designation along NC 147 and US 70

Exit list

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Cleveland	Grover	0.0	0.0		I-85 south – Spartanburg	Continuation from South Carolina
	​	1.8	2.9	2	NC 216 – Kings Mountain National Military Park
	​	3.6	5.8	4	US 29 south	South end of US 29 overlap; southbound exit and northbound entrance
	​	4.8	7.7	5	Dixon School Road
	Kings Mountain	7.6	12.2	8	NC 161 – Kings Mountain
Gaston		10.0	16.1	10	US 29 north / US 74 – Kings Mountain, Shelby	North end of US 29 overlap; signed as exits 10A (north/east) and 10B (west)
	Bessemer City	12.8	20.6	13	Edgewood Road – Bessemer City
	Gastonia	14.5	23.3	14	NC 274 – East Bessemer City, West Gastonia
		17.0	27.4	17	US 321 – Gastonia, Lincolnton
		19.0	30.6	19	NC 7 – East Gastonia
		19.7	31.7	20	NC 279 (New Hope Road) – Dallas
		20.6	33.2	21	Cox Road – Ranlo
	Lowell	22.3	35.9	22	Main Street – Cramerton, Lowell
		23.2	37.3	23	NC 7 – Lowell, McAdenville
	Belmont	25.7	41.4	26	Belmont–Mount Holly Road – Belmont, Mount Holly	To Belmont Abbey College
		26.9	43.3	27	NC 273 – Belmont, Mount Holly
Mecklenburg	​	29.4	47.3	29	Sam Wilson Road	To U.S. National Whitewater Center
	​	30.3	48.8	30	I‑485 to I‑77 – Pineville, Huntersville	Signed southbound as exits 30B (north/inner) and 30A (south/outer)
	Charlotte	32.0	51.5	32	Little Rock Road – CLT Airport
		33.2	53.4	33	Billy Graham Parkway	To Billy Graham Library
		34.7	55.8	34	NC 27 (Freedom Drive) / Tuckaseegee Road
		35.4	57.0	35	Glenwood Drive
		36.2	58.3	36	NC 16 (Brookshire Boulevard) to US 74 east – Downtown Charlotte
		37.8	60.8	37	Beatties Ford Road – Johnson C. Smith University
		38.2	61.5	38	I‑77 / US 21 – Statesville, Columbia
		38.8	62.4	39	Statesville Avenue / Statesville Road
		40.5	65.2	40	Graham Street
		41.3	66.5	41	Sugar Creek Road
		42.3	68.1	42	To US 29 to NC 49 (North Tryon Street)	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		43.0	69.2	43	To NC 49 / University City Boulevard	To Ikea Boulevard
		44.5	71.6	45	NC 24 (W.T. Harris Boulevard)	Signed as exits 45A (east) and 45B (west)
		46.2	74.4	46	Mallard Creek Church Road	Signed northbound as exits 46A (east) and 46B (west)
		47.5	76.4	48	I‑485 – Huntersville, Matthews	Turbine interchange
Cabarrus	Concord	49.2	79.2	49	Bruton Smith Boulevard / Concord Mills Boulevard	To Concord Mills and Charlotte Motor Speedway
		51.8	83.4	52	Poplar Tent Road	DDI[25]
		53.6	86.3	54	George W. Liles Parkway / Kannapolis Parkway
		55.0	88.5	55	NC 73 – Concord, Huntersville	To Rowan-Cabarrus Community College South Campus; DDI [26]
		58.0	93.3	58	US 29 / US 601 south – Kannapolis, Concord	South end of US 601 overlap
	Kannapolis	59.9	96.4	60	Dale Earnhardt Boulevard / Copperfield Boulevard
		62.5	100.6	63	Lane Street – Kannapolis
Rowan	China Grove	68.0	109.4	68	US 29 / NC 152 – China Grove, Rockwell
	​	70.4	113.3	70	Webb Road
	​	71.5	115.1	71	Peeler Road
	​	72.3	116.4	72	Peach Orchard Road
	Salisbury	73.7	118.6	74	Julian Road
		74.5	119.9	75	US 601 north (Jake Alexander Boulevard)	North end of US 601 overlap; to Rowan–Cabarrus CC North Campus
		76.0	122.3	76	US 52 south (Innes Street) – Albemarle, Salisbury	South end of US 52 overlap; formerly signed as exits 76A (south) and 76B (north)
	East Spencer	79.0	127.1	79	Andrews Street – Spencer, East Spencer
	Spencer	80.4	129.4	81	Long Ferry Road – Spencer
	Yadkin River	82.2	132.3	Yadkin River Veterans Memorial Bridge
Davidson	​	82.7	133.1	82	US 29 south / US 70 west / NC 150 east – Spencer	Permanently closed as of April, 2010[19][27][28][29]
	​	83.1	133.7	83	NC 150	Permanently closed as of May, 2013[19][28][29]
	​	83.4	134.2	84	US 29 south / US 70 west to NC 150 – Spencer	South end of US 29 and west end of US 70 overlap
	​	84.4	135.8	85	Clark Road	Permanently closed as of November, 2012[30]
	​	85.5	137.6	86	Belmont Road
	​	87.2	140.3	87	I‑85 Bus. north / US 29 north / US 52 north / US 70 east – Lexington, Winston-Salem	North end of US 29/US 52 and east end of US 70 overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance
	​	88.0	141.6	88	NC 47 to US 52 – High Rock Lake, Linwood
	Lexington	91.1	146.6	91	NC 8 – Lexington, Southmont
		93.7	150.8	94	Old US 64
		96.0	154.5	96	US 64 – Asheboro, Lexington
	Thomasville	101.5	163.3	102	Lake Road
		103.4	166.4	103	NC 109 – Thomasville
Randolph	Trinity	105.5	169.8	106	Finch Farm Road
		107.5	173.0	108	Hopewell Church Road – Trinity
	Archdale	111.0	178.6	111	Main Street – Archdale, Downtown High Point
Guilford		112.7	181.4	113A	NC 62 – Archdale
		113.4	182.5	113B-C	I‑74 / US 311 – Asheboro, Winston-Salem	Signed as exits 113B (east) and 113C (west)
	Greensboro	118.1	190.1	118	I‑85 Bus. south / US 29 south / US 70 west – High Point	South end of I-85 Bus./US 29/US 70 (west) overlap
		119.5	192.3	119	Groometown Road to Grandover Parkway	Signed as exit 122A southbound
		120.0	193.1	120A	I‑85 Bus. north / US 29 north / US 70 east – Greensboro	North end of I-85 Bus./US 29/US 70 (east) overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance
		120.4	193.8	120B	I‑73 north / US 421 north to I‑40 west – Winston-Salem	Signed as exit 121 southbound; north end of US 421 overlap
		121.7	195.9	122	I‑73 south / US 220 – Asheboro, Greensboro	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; signed as exits 122B (south) and 122C (north)
		123.7	199.1	124	South Elm–Eugene Street
		126.0	202.8	126	US 421 south – Sanford	Signed as exits 126A (US 421 South) and 126B (Greensboro); south end of US 421 overlap
		128.2	206.3	128	Alamance Church Road
		130.2	209.5	129	Youngs Mill Road
		132.0	212.4	131	I‑40 west / I‑785 north / I‑85 Bus. south – Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Danville	West end of I-40 overlap; hidden I-840 west
	McLeansville	133.3	214.5	132	Mount Hope Church Road
	Whitsett	136.3	219.4	135	Rock Creek Dairy Road
		138.6	223.1	138	NC 61 – Gibsonville
Alamance	Burlington	141.5	227.7	140	University Drive – Elon	To Elon University
		142.5	229.3	141	Huffman Mill Road
		144.2	232.1	143	NC 62 – Downtown Burlington, Alamance
		146.3	235.4	145	NC 49 – Downtown Burlington, Liberty
	Graham	148.0	238.2	147	NC 87 – Graham, Pittsboro
		149.0	239.8	148	NC 54 – Chapel Hill, Carrboro
	Haw River	150.8	242.7	150	Jimmie Kerr Road – Haw River, Roxboro
	Mebane	153.2	246.6	152	Trollingwood Road
		154.0	247.8	153	NC 119 – Mebane
		155.5	250.3	154	Mebane–Oaks Road – Mebane
Orange	​	158.2	254.6	157	Buckhorn Road
	Efland	161.3	259.6	160	Mount Willing Road – Efland
		161.9	260.6	161	To US 70 to NC 86 north (U.S. 70 Connector)
	Hillsborough	164.0	263.9	163	I‑40 east – Raleigh	East end of I-40 overlap
		165.2	265.9	164	Old NC 86 – Hillsborough
		166.5	268.0	165	NC 86 – Chapel Hill, Hillsborough
	Eno	170.8	274.9	170	US 70 west / US 70 Bus. east to NC 751 – Duke University	West end of US 70 overlap; to Bennett Place
Durham	Durham	173.3	278.9	172	NC 147 south – Downtown Durham, Research Triangle Park	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; to North Carolina Central University
		174.2	280.3	173	Cole Mill Road
		174.7	281.2	174A	US 15 south / US 501 south to US 70 Bus. to NC 751 / Hillsborough Road – Chapel Hill	South end of US 15/US 501 overlap; southbound exit and northbound entrance
		175.3	282.1	174B	Hillandale Road
		176.0	283.2	175	NC 157 (Guess Road)	To NC School of Science & Math and Duke Homestead
		177.2	285.2	176	US 501 north (Duke Street) / Gregson Street – Roxboro	North end of US 501 overlap; signed northbound as exits 176A (Gregson St) and 176B (Roxboro)
		178.2	286.8	177	US 15 Bus. south / US 501 Bus. (Roxboro Street) / NC 55 east (Avondale Drive)	To North Carolina Central University
		179.2	288.4	178	US 70 east – RDU Airport, Raleigh	East end of US 70 overlap
		180.6	290.6	179	East Club Boulevard
		181.3	291.8	180	Glenn School Road
	Gorman	183.0	294.5	182	Red Mill Road
		184.5	296.9	183	Redwood Road
Granville	​	186.7	300.5	186	US 15 north – Creedmoor, Butner	North end of US 15 overlap; signed northbound as exits 186A (US 15) and 186B (Butner)
	Butner	189.7	305.3	189	Gate Two Road – Butner
		192.0	309.0	191	NC 56 – Butner, Creedmoor
	​	202.8	326.4	202	US 15 – Oxford, Clarksville
	Oxford	205.1	330.1	204	NC 96 – Oxford
		207.5	333.9	206	US 158 – Oxford, Roxboro
Vance	​	210.6	338.9	209	Poplar Creek Road	To Vance–Granville Community College
	Henderson	213.0	342.8	212	Ruin Creek Road
		214.0	344.4	213	US 158 Byp. west / Dabney Drive	West end of US 158 overlap
		215.5	346.8	214	NC 39 – Downtown Henderson
		216.4	348.3	215	US 158 Byp. east / Parham Road	East end of US 158 overlap
		218.0	350.8	217	Satterwhite Point Road	To Satterwhite Point
		219.0	352.4	218	US 1 south – Raleigh	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	Middleburg	221.0	355.7	220	US 1 / US 158 / Fleming Road – Norlina
Warren	Manson	224.5	361.3	223	Manson Road
	​	226.8	365.0	226	Ridgeway Road
	​	229.7	369.7	229	Oine Road
	​	233.8	376.3	233	US 1 / US 401 – Wise, Norlina
	​	234.6	377.6		I‑85 north – Petersburg	Continuation into Virginia
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Closed/former       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

See also

References

External links

Route map: Google

• Media related to Interstate 85 in North Carolina at Wikimedia Commons
• I-85 Corridor Improvement Project

Interstate 85
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