 Interstate 85 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 I-85 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by NCDOT | ||||
| Length | 231.23 mi[1] (372.13 km) | |||
| Existed | August 14, 1957[2]–present | |||
| History | Completed January 13, 1972[3] | |||
| NHS | Entire route | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  I-85 at the South Carolina line near Blacksburg, SC | |||
| North end | I-85 at the Virginia line near Bracey, VA | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | North Carolina | |||
| Counties | Cleveland, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Rowan, Davidson, Randolph, Guilford, Alamance, Orange, Durham, Granville, Vance, Warren | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Interstate 85 (I-85) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs 666.05 miles (1,071.90 km) from Montgomery, Alabama, to Petersburg, Virginia. In the U.S. state of North Carolina, I-85 crosses the entire state from southwest to northeast (though is signed north–south), at the South Carolina state line near Grover to the Virginia state line near Wise. Running for over 231.23 miles (372.13 km), the segment of I-85 is the longest of the five states it passes through and the second-longest Interstate Highway in North Carolina after I-40.[1]
From southwest to northeast, I-85 crosses the large Piedmont region through its course in the state. Within this region, the Interstate connects three of the state's four most populous cities, Charlotte, Greensboro, and Durham. I-85 also serves to connect several smaller communities and suburban cities, such as Gastonia, Salisbury, High Point, and Henderson. Landscapes along the route include rolling hills and gently sloping terrain of the Appalachian Mountains at its southernmost stretch, the urbanized neighborhoods of the Piedmont cities through the center of North Carolina, and flat farmlands in the northeast towards Virginia.
Along its route, the Interstate parallels several other older U.S. Routes for its entire length. It follows US 29 from South Carolina to Greensboro, US 70 from Greensboro to Durham, US 15 from Durham to Oxford, and US 1 from Henderson to Virginia. It shares an extensive concurrency with I-40 from Greensboro to Hillsborough, and has four auxiliary routes: I-285, I-485, I-785, and I-885. The first segment of I-85 to be complete was an 11.3-mile (18.2 km) segment through Mecklenburg County, opened in 1958. Later segments were eventually completed through bonds, contracts, and extensions, with the final segment opening in 1972. Since then, most of the route has been widened and renovated to accommodate rapid growth within the region.
- ^ a b Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on September 19, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ Public Roads Administration (August 14, 1957). Official Route Numbering for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as Adopted by the American Association of State Highway Officials (Map). Washington, DC: Public Roads Administration. Retrieved June 14, 2018 – via Wikimedia Commons.
- ^ Wilson, Lynn (January 14, 1972). "Missing Link Opens, Ending a Deadly Era". Durham Morning Herald. p. 1A. Retrieved September 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.