Greensboro Urban Loop

Painter Boulevard
Greensboro Urban Loop
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length:	14.4 mi (23.2 km)
Existed:	2004 – present
History:	Completion scheduled for 2021[1]
Major junctions
West end:	Bryan Boulevard in Greensboro
	I-40 / US 421 in Greensboro I-85 / I-85 Bus. / US 29 in Greensboro Future I-73 / US 220 in Greensboro I-40 / I-85 / I-85 Bus. in Greensboro
East end:	US 70 in Greensboro
Highway system
North Carolina Highway System

The Greensboro Urban Loop (also known as Painter Boulevard) is a planned 41-mile (66 km) beltway around Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. The loop carries Interstate 85 and U.S. Route 421 on its southern section, and Interstate 73 from U.S. 220 to Bryan Boulevard along the west side of Greensboro. In the future, it will carry Interstate 785 from I-40/I-85 east of downtown to U.S. 29.

The parts of Urban Loop that are currently open are:

• the southern half (signed as Interstate 73 and US 421 on the southwest section, and Interstate 85 and US 421 on the southeast section);
• a portion of Future I-840 that runs 2 miles (3 km) from I-40/I-85 east of downtown to U.S. 70;
• a 3-mile (4.8 km) section of I-840 (co-signed with I-73) on the west, between I-40 and Bryan Boulevard, which will provide better access to the Piedmont Triad International Airport. This section is signed with a FUTURE plate above the shield, as it does not yet connect to any major roads.

Construction is completed on the southwest part of the beltway, which opened February 21, 2008. The next section of the northern part of the Loop to be constructed is the northwest segment between Bryan Boulevard and U.S. 220, to begin in 2013. Work will start on the northeast section between U.S. 70 and U.S. 29 (Future I-785) in 2014. Land and right-of-way property is being bought for the segments between U.S. 220 and Lawndale Drive, to start construction in 2017, and Lanwdale to U.S. 29, work to start currently scheduled for 2019.

This is one of five freeway corridors in the Greensboro area to include the word "Boulevard" in its name. What is now Business I-85 is also known as Preddy Boulevard, what was once Business I-40 west of downtown (and is again I-40) is also known as Fordham Boulevard, and part of I-73 is planned to follow Bryan Boulevard. O. Henry Boulevard carries U.S. 29 east of downtown Greensboro.

In April 2005, the city of Greensboro voted to approve annexation of the Urban Loop into the city of Greensboro. The annexation took effect in June of that year.[2][3]

A small portion of Interstate 73 is completed and signed along the Urban Loop, and there is a wrong-way concurrency with Interstate 85 for approximately one mile. It should be noted however: as a result of the freeway's unusual design, I-85 and I-73 do not share the same roadbed. A traveler following I-73 through the intersection will not at any point be on mainline I-85, despite signage that indicates otherwise to minimize confusion.

I-40 Relocation

The Urban Loop and its designations since January 2004 up to October 2008.

On September 12, 2008, after complaints by local residents and motorists on the confusion between Interstate 40, and Business Interstate 40 through Greensboro, NCDOT officials received permission from the FHWA to reroute Interstate 40 back through the city of Greensboro and decommission Business Interstate 40. This placed Interstate 40 on its original route while leaving I-73 and I-85 signed along the Greensboro Urban Loop. By the end of Fall 2008 Business Interstate 40 signs through Greensboro were to be replaced back with Interstate 40 signs, and US 421 was to be rerouted to replace most of the I-40 route along the Loop.

As of April 2009, few changes to note the re-designation have been made. At the I-40/85 interchange east of Greensboro, I-40 is signed as going through Greensboro, while all other signs along the Urban Loop show I-40 on the loop, including at the southern I-85/73 interchange and the western I-40/73/840 interchange. Overhead signs through Greensboro were never changed to reflect Business 40 and still show I-40, while Business 40 shields are still placed along Business 85. Between Business 85 and I-73, reassurance markers were never changed to Business 40 shields, but directional signs at interchanges were, and still reflect Business 40. Mile markers and exit numbers (with the exception of overhead signs) were briefly changed between Business 85 and I-73, but have been reverted, while mile markers and exit numbers along the Urban Loop have not changed since its original opening. As of August 2009, crucial signage has US 421 signed along the Loop, though many signs still show US 421 going through Greensboro.

Exit list

This exit list covers the entire Greensboro Urban Loop that is constructed so far.

Mile	km	Old exit	New exit	Destinations	Notes
		19		US 70	Counterclockwise exit and clockwise entrance
		21		I-40 east / I-85 north – Durham, Raleigh	No exit number counterclockwise
		21		I-40 west / I-85 Bus. south – Greensboro
		129	129	Youngs Mill Road
		128	128	Alamance Church Road
		126	126	US 421 south – Sanford	Signed as exits 126A (south) and 126B (Greensboro)
		124	124	South Elm-Eugene Street
		122C	122B	US 220 north – Greensboro	Clockwise exit is exit 122C; no exit from I-73 south to US 220 north
		220	95A 122B	US 220 south / Future I-73 south - Asheboro	Counterclockwise exit is exit 95A Clockwise exit is exit 122B
		219		I-85 Bus. north / US 29 north / US 70 east to US 220 north – Greensboro	No exit from I-85 south/I-73 north
		218	97 122A	Groometown Road to Grandover Parkway	Counterclockwise exit is exit 97 Clockwise exit is exit 122A
		218	97B 121	I-85 south / US 29 south / US 70 west – High Point, Charlotte	No exit number clockwise I-73/US 421 North is exit 121 from I-85 south
		214	102	Wendover Avenue
		212B	103A	I-40 east	Signed as exit 103A clockwise
		1		I-40 west / US 421 north – Winston-Salem	No exit number clockwise; Traffic continuing on the Urban Loop was to use exit 212A
		2		West Friendly Avenue
		3		Bryan Boulevard – PTI Airport	Clockwise exit and counterclockwise entrance
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Interstate 840

Interstate 840
Location:	Greensboro

Interstate 840 (abbreviated I-840) is a planned 21-mile (34 km) east–west auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System, forming the northern half of a beltway around Greensboro, North Carolina.

The only parts of I-840 that are currently open are a segment running 2 miles (3 km) from I-85 east of downtown north (signed west) to U.S. 70 and a 3-mile (5 km) stretch on the west side between I-40 and Bryan Boulevard which was opened on 18 December 2007. This section provides better access to the PTI airport.[4] Both are signed as Future Interstate 840 (the western section is also signed as Future Interstate 73) with a FUTURE plate above the shield, due to neither section connecting to any significant roadways.

When Interstate 785 is completed it will use the portion of I-840 from US 29 south to reach I-85. It will be the second occurrence in the nation of two three-digit interstates running concurrently, the other being Interstates 271 and 480 near Cleveland, Ohio.

See also

• Interstate 785
• Interstate 40 Business
• Interstate 85 Business
• Bryan Boulevard
• Death Valley (North Carolina)
• I-85 Corridor
• Winston-Salem Beltway
• Charlotte Beltway
• Raleigh Beltline
• Raleigh Outer Loop

External links

• Greensboro Urban Loop | AARoads Interstate Guide
• The Greensboro Urban Loop@All Things Carolina!
• Map of the Greensboro Urban Loop and Interchanges
• Greensboro Urban Area Bicycle, Pedestrian & Greenway Master Plan
• 2006 Funding Authorization
• Urban Loop Gets Green Light, Expected to Attract Jobs a County Away WFMY News 2 report 1/12/2007 Accessed 1/19/07
• NCDOT Urban Loop Project Update 9/19/2012