Interstate 85

Interstate 85 (I-85) is an Interstate highway that runs from Montgomery, Alabama to Richmond, Virginia. In North Carolina, I-85 travels 234.6 miles (377.6 km) from the South Carolina state line near Grover, North Carolina to the Virginia state line near Wise. Despite being signed north–south, I-85 physically travels in a southwest-northeast direction across the state. The Interstate highway connects the three most populous metropolitan areas of North Carolina, Metrolina, Piedmont Triad, and Research Triangle, as well as nine of the twenty largest municipalities in the state. Outside of North Carolina, I-85 connects the state with Richmond, Virginia to the north, and Upstate South Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia to the south. I-85 follows several U.S. Highways including US 29 between South Carolina and Greensboro, US 70between Greensboro and Durham, and US 15 between Durham and Oxford, and US 1between Henderson and Virginia.

Contents

1Route description

1.1Dedicated and memorial names

2History

3Current projects

4Auxiliary routes

5Exit list

6See also

7References

8External links

Route description[edit]

I-85 northbound at the exit for US 29/NC 49 in Charlotte

I-85 enters the state from Cherokee County, South Carolina near Grover in Cleveland County, an outer suburb 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 as it enters Mecklenburg County, then interchanges with I-485 as it passes north of Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. After crossing I-485, it turns northeastward again, bypassing Uptown Charlotte to the west and north. While the route does not enter Uptown, several exits do provide access to the area. An interchange with Interstate 77 north of Uptown provides direct freeway access. The route through Charlotte traverses the northern portion of the city and 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.

North of Charlotte, I-85 interchanges with I-485 a second time as it continues northeastward into Cabarrus County. In Concord, it passes through a dense commercial district and provides access to both Concord Mills shopping mall and Charlotte Motor Speedway, afterwards passing south and east of Kannapolis. As of February 2019, the highway between exit 58 (near Concord) and exit 68 near the Rowan County town of China Grove is being rebuilt and expanded from 4 lanes total (two in each direction) with no shoulders. When complete, the route will have 8 total lanes through to its junction with Business 85 south of Lexington.

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 Johnsontown 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, Durhamand 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 it temporarily widens to 10 lanes. It takes on a more suburban character once it leaves Durham and then heads into rural areas, bypassing Oxford and Henderson before crossing into Mecklenburg County, Virginia.

Dedicated and memorial names[edit]

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).

Senator Marshall Arthur Rauch Highway – official North Carolina name of Interstate 85 through Gaston County (approved: October 3, 1997)

William James Pharr Bridge – official North Carolina name of Bridge over South Fork River on Interstate 85 in Gaston County (approved: August 5, 1994).

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.

Julius Chambers Highway – official North Carolina name of I-85 between I-77/US 21 and the I-85 Connector (four miles (6.4 km)), in Charlotte. It is named in honor of Julius L. Chambers, who was a lawyer, civil rightsleader and educator (dedicated May 24, 2018).

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)). It is named in honor of NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon (dedicated May 25, 2012).

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).

Bob Timberlake Freeway - official North Carolina name of I-85 from exit 92 to exit 96 in Davidson County.

Richard Childress Freeway - official North Carolina name of I-85 from exit 96 to exit 102 in  Davidson County.

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.

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).

Dr. John H. Franklin Highway – official North Carolina name of I-85/US 70, between Cole Mill Road (exit 173) and US 70 (exit 178), in Durham. It is named in honor of John Hope Franklin, an American Historian and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

History[edit]

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. This was part of an 80-mile expressway completed in 1955 between Lexington and Hillsborough.

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.

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:

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 were 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 Whitsett.

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.

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. The plan was later changed to eight lanes. 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.

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.[citation needed] Between 2004 and 2008, I-85 was widened to eight lanes around Salisbury.

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. In the first phase, all traffic from the old bridge moved to a new $201 million bridge in August 2012. On March 9, 2013, all eight lanes of the I-85 bridge opened to the public.The project finished eight months ahead of schedule and $44 million under budget.

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.

Current projects[edit]

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. Construction is scheduled to be completed by December 2017. 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[edit]

Interstate

City

Type

Notes

Interstate 85 Business

Lexington, High Point, and Greensboro

Business loop

Expressway grade from Lexington-High Point

Interstate 285

Lexington and Winston-Salem

Connector

Complete concurrency with US 52

Interstate 485

Charlotte

Beltway

Uses Huntersville, Matthews and Pineville as control cities

Interstate 785

Greensboro and Danville

Spur

Currently a 7-mile (11 km) freeway in eastern Guilford County; to be extended.

Interstate 885

Durham

Connector

Proposed designation along NC 147 and US 70

Exit list[edit]

County

Location

mi

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(Charlotte Route 4) – Farmers Market

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

Hybrid interchange

38.8

62.4

39

Statesville Avenue / Statesville Road

40.5

65.2

40

Graham Street

41.3

66.5

41

Sugar Creek Road (Charlotte Route 4)

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 to I-77 north – Huntersville, Matthews

Turbine interchange; I-77 signed southbound

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

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

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

Signed as exits 60A and 60B

62.5

100.6

63

Lane Street – Kannapolis

Rowan

Landis

65.0

104.6

65

Old Beatty Ford Road – Landis

Opened November 14, 2019.

China Grove

68.0

109.4

68

US 29 / NC 152 – China Grove, Rockwell

Salisbury

70.4

113.3

70

Webb Road

71.5

115.1

71

Peeler Road

72.3

116.4

72

Peach Orchard Road

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

83.1

133.7

83

NC 150

Permanently closed as of May 2013

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

85.5

137.6

86

Belmont Road

87.2

140.3

87

I-285 north / I-85 BLnorth / 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 (Hargrave Road) to I-285 / US 52

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 – Asheboro, Winston-Salem

Signed as exits 113B (east) and 113C (west)

Greensboro

118.1

190.1

118

I-85 BL south / US 29 south / US 70 west – High Point

South end of US 29 and west end of US 70 overlap

119.5

192.3

119

Groometown Road to Grandover Parkway

Signed as exit 122A southbound

120.0

193.1

120A

US 29 north / US 70 east – Greensboro

North end of US 29 and east end of US 70 overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance

120.4

193.8

120B

I-73 north / US 421 north – Winston-Salem, Martinsville

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 – 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 501south 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 & Mathand 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 55east (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 VA

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-Drewry Road

226.8

365.0

226

Ridgeway-Drewry 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