Interstate 85

Route information
Length	668 mi (1,075 km)
Major junctions
South end	I-65 / US 82 / SR 6 in Montgomery, AL
Major intersections	I-75 in Atlanta, GA I-20 in Atlanta, GA I-26 near Spartanburg, SC I-77 in Charlotte, NC I-40 in Greensboro, NC I-40 near Durham, NC
North end	I-95 / US 460 in Petersburg, VA

Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with Interstate 65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus intersects with Interstate 95 in Petersburg, Virginia, near Richmond.

An addition to Interstate 85 is proposed that will extend the route west from Montgomery, Alabama, to just east of the Mississippi state line.

Route description

Lengths

	mi	km
AL	80	130
GA	180	292
SC	106	172
NC	233	377
VA	69	112
Total	668	1,082

Alabama

Main article: Interstate 85 in Alabama

Interstate 85 begins as a fork off Interstate 65 in Montgomery. From here, I-85 parallels U.S. Route 80 until the highway nears Tuskegee. At Tuskegee, I-85 leaves U.S. 80 and starts to parallel U.S. Route 29, which the highway parallels for much of its length.

I-85 also passes near Auburn, Opelika and Lanett before crossing the Chattahoochee River into Georgia.

Georgia

Main article: Interstate 85 in Georgia

Alabama state line to LaGrange

Interstate 85 under partial construction near the Alabama state line.

In Georgia, Interstate 85 bypasses West Point before coming into the LaGrange area. East of LaGrange, I-85 intersects Interstate 185. Travelers can take I-185 to Columbus and Fort Benning. Travelers can also see the construction of Kia's multi-billion dollar plant in West Point, just a few miles south west of LaGrange. Also I-85 is currently being widened from the Meriwether County line to exit 74 in Fulton County

I-85 in Georgia is secretly designated — but not signed as - State Route 403.

LaGrange to Atlanta

From LaGrange, I-85 heads northeastward towards Atlanta. Before reaching Atlanta, the highway passes the suburbs Newnan, College Park and East Point as well as intersecting Interstate 285 and providing access to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. On the south side of the city, I-85 merges with Interstate 75 to form the Downtown Connector. Just before downtown, the highway goes through a pile-up intersection with I-20. Afterward, the two highways go through the heart of the city until they split just north of Georgia Tech. I-75 heads northwest while I-85 heads northeast. However, at the exit, I-75 drivers must take the right three lanes while I-85 motorists must use the left three lanes.

I-75 co-signed with I-85 in downtown Atlanta

Atlanta to South Carolina state line

Continuing northeast of Atlanta, Interstate 85 continues through the northeastern suburbs, bypassing Chamblee and Doraville, where there is another intersection with I-285 (nicknamed Spaghetti Junction). Also, on the section from Chamblee-Tucker Road to Old Peachtree road in Gwinnett County, the current HOV lanes presented are being considered for converting to high occupancy toll lanes to help ease the congestion which is currently present during rush hours.

Continuing northbound, drivers will see another interstate spur - Interstate 985, which provides a link to Gainesville - before heading through northeastern Georgia. At Lake Hartwell - which was formed by the damming of the Savannah River - I-85 crosses into South Carolina.

Just northeast of the I-75/I-85 northern split, I-85 was rerouted just north of its original route in the 1990s from just northeast of the interchange to near the State Route 400 interchange. The original route is now signed State Route 13.

South Carolina

Interstate 85 North after Exit #1 in Oconee County, South Carolina in 2008.

Main article: Interstate 85 in South Carolina

Interstate 85 provides the major transportation route for the Upstate of South Carolina, linking together the major centers of Greenville and Spartanburg with regional centers of importance.

Georgia state line to Greenville

In South Carolina, Interstate 85 bypasses Clemson and Anderson on the way to Greenville. Beginning at Anderson, I-85 widens from four to six lanes. Near Powdersville, U.S. 29 joins I-85 and they run concurrently until they cross the Saluda River.

Greenville to Spartanburg

Interstate 85 bypasses just south of Greenville, but provides two links into the city via spur routes Interstates 185 and 385. U.S. 29 splits from I-85 and joins I-185 toward downtown Greenville. I-185 recently saw a major expansion as a toll road south of the city as the Southern Connector was completed. In this section, the roadway is six to eight lanes wide, depending on the location.

Much of the Upstate's industrial, institutional, and commercial base is located along I-85, especially with regards to the growing automotive industry. The North American headquarters for Michelin, along with BMW's Spartanburg assembly plant, and the new Clemson University International Center for Automobile Research are all visible from the road. Additional companies have major operations along this corridor, including Hubbell Lighting, Sara Lee Corporation, Hitachi, and General Electric. I-85 also bypasses Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, which serves the Greenville-Spartanburg metropolitan area.

Spartanburg to North Carolina state line

Instead of going into Spartanburg, I-85 bypasses the city to the north. Its original route is now signed Business Loop 85 and was approved by AASHTO on April 22, 1995.

North of Spartanburg, I-85 narrows from six lanes back to four lanes and bypasses Gaffney. At Gaffney, motorists can see The Peachoid, a large water tower with its top shaped like a peach, which is one of the state's most important crops. Just northeast of Exit 95 in the median is a cemetary

Much of the terrain between Spartanburg and the North Carolina border is rural in nature.

North Carolina

Main article: Interstate 85 in North Carolina

In North Carolina, I-85 merges with I-40 from Greensboro to Hillsborough, just west of Durham. In Alamance County, the highway is also known as the Sam Hunt Freeway.

South Carolina state line to Charlotte

Immediately upon coming into North Carolina, drivers will realize that Charlotte, North Carolina is still 45 minutes away. This is because Interstate 85 takes a more west to east routing along with U.S. Route 29 and U.S. Route 74, nears Kings Mountain.

Drivers will go through Gastonia and will eventually reach Charlotte with the option to bypass using Interstate 485.

Charlotte to Greensboro

In Charlotte, I-85 bypasses Charlotte-Douglas International Airport and turns northeastward just before reaching uptown Charlotte; thus I-85 just bypasses uptown to the north. The part of this section from near Little Rock Road northward to the US-29 / NC-49 split became the first mileage of the entire I-85 corridor to be completed (1958).

The junction between I-85 and Interstate 77 north of uptown Charlotte is a strange configuration. While I-85 passes under I-77, the northbound lanes of I-77 are to the west of I-77's southbound lanes. The travel lanes on I-77 return to their proper positions north and south of this interchange.

North of Charlotte, the highway passes near Concord, where one can see the Lowes Motor Speedway. There is much dedication to the Earnhardt family as there are many roads named using his name, such as Dale Earnhardt Boulevard and North Carolina Highway 3.

At milepost 98, the northbound lanes of I-85 cross under the southbound lanes, and cross back to the correct configuration near milepost 102. This results in motorists driving to the left of opposing traffic for approximately three miles (5 km). The switch is not very noticeable, because the roadways are separated by up to 400 feet (123 m) of woods in this area. A rest area and Vietnam Veterans memorial are located in the median of this section, so the crossover allows for all exits into the rest area to be normal right-hand exits.

Greensboro to Durham

Interstates 85/40 through Burlington, NC.

Continuing northbound, I-85 passes though or near Salisbury, Lexington and High Point before reaching Greensboro. At Greensboro, I-85 shifts to its to a new routing, away from downtown. At Exit 120, Business I-85 (old I-85 through town) exits and Interstate 73 begins its short overlap with I-85, leaving at Exit 122 (although the two interstates never share the same alignment). I-85 intersects with a new I-73 freeway for travelers bound westward towards Winston-Salem (via I-40). The former I-85 routing nearest downtown Greensboro (now Business I-85/I-40 (Business 85 joins I-40 at "Death Valley")) is also notorious for many traffic accidents and earned the above mentioned nickname "Death Valley". (Until September 2008, I-40 departed from I-85 at Exit 120, and its former — and once again current — alignment was signed as Business 40.)

At Exit 131, I-85 joins I-40 east of downtown, and the two highways are cosigned as they pass through Burlington, Graham and Mebane then separate near Hillsborough. Interstate 85 continues to Durham while Interstate 40 (Exit 163) turns toward Chapel Hill, Cary and Raleigh.

Durham to Virginia state line

From Durham, I-85 turns northeastward and heads toward Virginia. Until replaced during a recent upgrade, signs for Richmond used to exist in this part of North Carolina even though the end of the road is in Petersburg, Virginia.

Virginia

Main article: Interstate 85 in Virginia

Starting from the Virginia border, drivers will pass South Hill and McKenney before heading into a large forest of trees. After the forest, Interstate 85 reaches Petersburg and ends at Interstate 95. The highway is briefly cosigned with U.S. Route 460 from a few miles west of Petersburg in Dinwiddie County to I-95.

The last four miles (6 km) of I-85 near Petersburg once formed the southern end of the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike, which was completed in 1958. The tolls were removed in 1992 after Interstate 295 was completed.

Virginia's portion of I-85 is also the only Interstate Highway in the state with a posted speed limit greater than 65 miles per hour (105 kilometers per hour). It was raised from 65 mph (105 km/h) to 70 mph (113 km/h) on July 1, 2006, by the state legislature.

The Northern Terminus of I-85 is at the main interstate highway of the east coast, I-95, which is a gateway to various major cities, including Miami, Jacksonville, Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, etc.

History

I-85 was rerouted around Greensboro in 2004; and it split with I-40 eight miles (13 km) east of the original departure point. I-40 ran with I-85 along the bypass to the southern/western end and I-40 continued on a new freeway alignment at Exit 121 until September 2008, when it was rerouted back to its old alignment through the city. Despite its reroute around Greensboro, the overall length for I-85 in North Carolina (233 miles/373 km) remains the same as before.

Trivia

I-85 links two former capitals of the Confederate States of America. Its northern terminus intersects with I-95 just outside of Richmond, VA and its southern terminus intersects with I-65 in Montgomery, AL, the Confederacy's original capital city.

Future

There is currently a plan by Alabama state transportation officials to extend I-85 across western Alabama, where it will connect with I-20 near Cuba, Alabama. This extension will roughly follow the route of U.S. 80, going through or bypassing Selma and Demopolis. This section is also envisioned by some as part of a proposed Interstate 14.

Interstate 85 is scheduled to have several new auxiliary routes in the future. Interstate 285 is also planned to follow part of the U.S. Route 52 freeway from Lexington to Winston-Salem, both in North Carolina. Interstate 785 is currently planned by the North Carolina Department of Transportation to run from Greensboro to Danville, Virginia. The proposed route would follow the current U.S. 29 corridor. There are plans for I-85 from Anderson County, South Carolina to Spartanburg County, South Carolina to become four to five lanes in each direction including HOV lanes, if it is funded it will start construction in 2012.

Major intersections

• Interstate 65 in Montgomery, Alabama
• Interstate 185 near LaGrange, Georgia.
• Interstate 285 near College Park, Georgia. I-85 intersects this highway twice.
• Interstate 75 in Atlanta. The two highways run concurrently through much of the city.
• Interstate 20 in Atlanta.
• Interstate 985 near Lawrenceville, Georgia.
• Interstate 185 near Greenville, South Carolina.
• Interstate 385 near Greenville.
• Interstate 26 near Spartanburg, South Carolina.
• Interstate 585 near Spartanburg via Business Loop 85. An extension is currently underway that will extend I-585 to I-85.
• Interstate 485 in Charlotte, North Carolina. I-85 intersects I-485 twice.
• Interstate 77 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
• Interstate 40 in Greensboro, North Carolina. They stay connected until Hillsborough, North Carolina.
• Future Interstate 73 in Greensboro.
• Interstate 95 in Petersburg, Virginia. (Map)

See also

• Death Valley (North Carolina)
• Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike
• I-85 Rivalry

Business routes

• Interstate 85 Business Loop in High Point, North Carolina and Greensboro, North Carolina.
• Interstate 85 Business Loop near Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Pop Culture

• Interstate 85 is mentioned by Bubba Sparxxx in a song by Petey Pablo called "Get on Dis Motorcycle". In the song Bubba recounts how Petey made him drive drunk all the way from LaGrange, GA, through Spartanburg, SC, and into High Point, NC.
• The Interstate Highway is referenced in John Mayer's song Why Georgia, where the lyrics are "I am driving up 85 in the kind of morning that lasts all afternoon".

External links

• I-85 Extension Corridor Study - Corridor study and environmental impact statement by the Alabama Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration.

Browse numbered routes
← US 84	AL	→ SR 85
← NC 84	NC	→ NC 86