Interstate 85 in North Carolina

Interstate 85 (I-85) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Montgomery, Alabama, to Petersburg, Virginia. In North Carolina, I-85 travels 231.23 mi from the South Carolina state line near Grover 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 major landscapes traversed by I-85 include urban and rural pockets of the Piedmont region, with views of Kings Pinnacle seen from its southernmost stretch. The Interstate Highway connects the three most populous metropolitan areas of North Carolina: the Charlotte metropolitan area, Piedmont Triad, and Research Triangle, as well as nine of the 20 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 parallels several US Highways including US Highway 29 (US 29) between South Carolina and Greensboro, US 70 between Greensboro and Durham, US 15 between Durham and Oxford, and US 1 between Henderson and Virginia.

Route description
I-85 is maintained by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) for its entire length in the state and designated as a Blue Star Memorial Highway. The Interstate carries an average annual daily traffic volume of approximately 65,000 vehicles a day; roughly 25-40% of that traffic is commercial vehicles. Traffic varies from as much as 181,000 vehicles through Mecklenburg County to as little as 19,000 in Vance County. All of I-85 is a part of the National Highway System, a network of roads important for the country's economy, defense, and mobility.

South Carolina to Charlotte
I-85 enters Cleveland County, North Carolina from Cherokee County, South Carolina near the small town of Grover. Most of the Interstate for its first few miles passes through gently rolling terrain and is primarily rural in nature. It has its first interchange with NC 216, which provides access to Kings Mountain National Military Park, with a welcome center shortly after. Later, the southbound lanes have an exit for US 29, which merges onto I-85 and begins a concurrency. At milemarker 10, the Interstate meets US 74 at a weave interchange and US 29 splits off from I-85 for US 74 east.

At this point, I-85 crosses into Gaston County. It enters suburban areas and traffic begins increasing from here. The Interstate then reaches Gastonia and has an exit for NC 274 (Bessemer City Road). Then it has a major interchange with US 321, signed north for Lincolnton and south for the city's main business district. Traffic from US 321 south before 2017 was often congested due to I-85, and a new interchange was developed to help relieve it. Past it, I-85 turns southeast, then east as it goes through more suburban and residential areas of the city. Along here, it intersects more state highways serving as Gastonia's main thoroughfares, including NC 7 (Ozark Avenue), NC 279 (New Hope Road), and NC 7 (McAdenville Road/Main Street) again; NC 7 provides access to the town of McAdenville. Here, I-85 passes through considerably high residential development as it continues on its eastward track to Belmont and expands even more to eight lanes. It reaches the main exit for Belmont at NC 273 near milemarker 27, then crosses the Catawba River on the Cameron Morrison Bridge, entering Mecklenburg County.

Charlotte to Greensboro
Right after entering Mecklenburg County, I-85 reaches a weigh station occasionally serving trucks in both directions. Access to the U.S. National Whitewater Center can be done from Sam Wilson Road, its first interchange in the county. After that, I-85 meets I-485 at a stack interchange. This portion of I-85 is often congested due to the lanes merging into one. As of 2024, from the US 321 interchange to I-485, the lanes are being widened to accommodate larger amounts of traffic. Drivers wanting to access I-77 can get off at the interchange, or simply keep driving on I-85 to reach the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. A couple of miles later, I-85 has an exit for the airport via Little Rock Road at a single-point urban interchange and enters the city of Charlotte. It has interchanges with Billy Graham Parkway, as well as two more single-point urban interchanges with NC 27 (Freedom Drive) and NC 16 (Brookshire Boulevard).

I-85 then directly intersects with I-77 and US 21 at milemarker 38 with a hybrid interchange and then traverses the northern portion of Charlotte. The routing through this portion is generally more suburban than urban in nature, with light industries such as truck terminals, warehouses, small manufacturing facilities, and small office parks lining the highway. More interchanges with minor but significant thoroughfares through the city such as Graham Street, Sugar Creek Road, and North Tryon Street appear. Here, I-85 turns northward and enters the University City area. it meets NC 24 (Harris Boulevard) in this stretch and has an interchange with I-485 again, this time at a turbine interchange.

I-85 then crosses into Cabarrus County, immediately entering the city of Concord and dense commercial development. It passes exit 49 (Bruton Smith Boulevard/Concord Mills Boulevard), which is signed for several major attractions such as the Concord Mills Mall and Charlotte Motor Speedway. Several miles later, it has a diverging diamond interchange with NC 73 and then crosses Coddle Creek. It meets US 29 a second time as well as US 601 nearing Kannapolis, the exit of which US 29 provides access to the North Carolina Research Campus. US 601 merges onto I-85, forming another concurrency as the two routes continue northward and meet a rest area. The highway does not enter Kannapolis but has several exits signed for it. The road crosses the Cold Water Creek, which parallels the highway, before entering Rowan County. North of China Grove, the highway passes exit 74 (Julian Road) for an outlet containing several stores. Just before Salisbury, US 601 splits from I-85 at exit 75 for Jake Alexander Boulevard, and I-85 enters Salisbury where it meets US 52 at exit 76 with a single-point urban interchange. US 52 merges onto I-85 and the highway exits Salisbury. At Spencer, I-85/US 52 enters Davidson County and crosses the Yadkin River on the Yadkin River Veterans Memorial Bridge. The route then meets with US 29, US 70, and NC 150 near the unincorporated community of Linwood at an unusual interchange. The interchange allows for direct access to NC 150 northbound and US 29/US 70 southbound. US 29 and US 70 converge with I-85/US 52 for a very brief distance, about 2 mi, before I-85 reaches an interchange that is accessible northbound only: I-285. At this point, all three U.S. Highways that overlapped I-85 leave the Interstate.

After the interchange, I-85 passes underneath the bridge, turning slightly east for a mile, and intersects NC 47 (Hargrave Road). Because the previous exit is northbound-only, drivers going southbound must use NC 47 to access I-285. After its interchange with NC 8 (Cotton Grove Road), which is the main exit for Lexington, I-85 enters a large forest with tree-lined medians and crosses Abbotts Creek, then has an interchange with US 64. Past Holly Grove Road, the northbound lanes cut under the southbound lanes and cross Hamby Creek, diverting traffic to the left side of the road. The reversed lanes of I-85 then pass over Squire Bowers Road and reach a rest area, as well as access to the North Carolina Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park. Once the reversed lanes of the Interstate cross Johnsontown Road, the northbound lanes pass above the southbound lanes and return to the normal direction.

The tree-lined median then gives way to the city of Thomasville, where I-85 meets NC 109. It crosses into Randolph County as it enters the city of Archdale and intersects NC 62. I-85 enters High Point and has a parclo interchange with I-74 and the former routing of US 311. The exits are signed east for Asheboro and west for Winston-Salem. I-85 then passes through another forest with more trees lining the median and crosses the Randolph and Guilford branches of the Richland Creek as it enters Guilford County. Just outside Greensboro, it has a southbound interchange with US 29 and US 70 again. US 29/US 70 form a brief concurrency with I-85 before the route enters suburban areas once more and reaches a very large and complex interchange with Groometown Road, Grandover Parkway, I-73, US 220, and US 421. US 29 and US 70 split off through the interchange, while US 421 joins I-85 from I-73 in a wrong-way concurrency. Because I-85 was rerouted around Greensboro after February 2004, it now follows the southern half of the Greensboro Urban Loop.

Greensboro to Durham
Leaving the massive interchange, I-85/US 421 expands to eight lanes again and stays connected for just 4 mi before US 421 departs the concurrency at exit 126 to head southeast for Sanford. Meanwhile, I-85 maintains its northeastward track and passes by a couple more exits before reaching I-785 (its third auxiliary route), I-40, and I-840, the former and latter of which have their southern and eastern terminus at I-85 respectively. I-40 merges onto I-85 and the two routes share a rather long concurrency which travels entirely east–west for 31 mi. I-40/I-85 enters more industrial areas and meets NC 61 before entering Alamance County. It travels right through the heart of Burlington upon mile marker 141, intersecting several of the city's main state highways, including NC 62 again, NC 49, NC 87, and NC 54. Past a diverging diamond interchange with NC 119 (Mebane-Oaks Road), the highway enters Orange County and reaches another truck weigh station. I-40 then splits off southeast from I-85 to serve the southern portion of Durham and downtown Raleigh while I-85 continues eastward and narrows back down to four lanes. The following interchanges of I-85 before Durham County are rather substandard in quality due to the interstate retaining its original design. It meets NC 86 and later US 70, which forms another concurrency once again before entering Durham County. At milemarker 172, it meets the northern terminus of NC 147 (Durham Freeway), which connects to downtown Durham. I-85/US 70 then reaches the main city center and becomes urban in nature. It then has an interchange with US 15 and US 501, which both also join the concurrency. The highway passes a diamond interchange with NC 157 (Guess Road), and then US 501 splits off at Duke Street to head north. The other three highways continue on their way before meeting the western terminus of NC 55 (Avondale Drive). Just before exiting Durham, US 70 also departs the concurrency to head east alongside I-85's fourth and final auxiliary route, I-885, for the Raleigh–Durham International Airport and Raleigh itself while I-85 and US 15 remain joined.

Durham to Virginia
North of Durham, I-85/US 15 narrows down to four lanes and passes several more minor interchanges before entering Granville County and suburban areas. The landscape gives way to rural areas and another forest, this time without trees lining the median as the highway crosses Falls Lake. US 15 departs I-85 at exit 186 to serve the town and city of Butner and Creedmoor respectively, whereas I-85 bypasses these areas. From here to Oxford, US 15 parallels I-85. The Interstate then intersects NC 56 outside of Butner and continues to make its way through the forest for about 10 mi without any other interchanges. I-85 then crosses the Tar River and comes to another rest area. It meets US 15 at another interchange just near milemarker 202 nearing Oxford. Interchanges with NC 96 and US 158 immediately follow, then I-85 cuts into Vance County.

It immediately reaches the city limits of Henderson before meeting up with US 158 (Dabney Drive), and US 158 merges on I-85 to follow a short concurrency with it. The highway intersects NC 39, the main exit for Henderson, then US 158 splits off from the concurrency shortly after. At milemarker 218, I-85 has a southbound exit for US 1, which begins paralleling it for the rest of the Interstate's length. I-85 passes just west of Middleburg and has a parclo interchange with US 1/US 158 (Flemingtown Road) for the town of Norlina. I-85 then enters its final county in the state, Warren County. Before long, it bypasses Manson and continues to go through a wooded forest with no development along the road. Just before leaving North Carolina, I-85 has its final interchange in the state with US 1 and the northern terminus of US 401 near the unincorporated community of Wise. After that, it exits North Carolina and crosses the state line into Mecklenburg County, Virginia.

Dedicated and memorial names
I-85 in North Carolina features a few dedicated or memorialized stretches of freeway. The entire length of the Interstate is known as the Blue Star Memorial Highway, approved on May 5, 1967. Through Gaston County, the name of I-85 is known as the Senator Marshall Arthur Rauch Highway, being signed on October 3, 1997. Between the I-77/US 21 interchange and the I-85 Connector (exit 42) in Charlotte, the route is known as the Julius Chambers Highway, named in honor of Julius L. Chambers. From Charlotte to the Mecklenburg/Cabarrus county line, the route is known as the Jeff Gordon Expressway after NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon. This section of the highway was signed on May 25, 2012. From milemarker 92 to 96, the Interstate is known as the Bob Timberlake Freeway after the artist of the same name. On milemarker 96 to 102, I-85 is known as the Richard Childress Freeway after the NASCAR driver. At Alamance Church Road (exit 128) to the I-40 interchange (exit 131), I-85 is known as the Congressman J. Howard Coble Highway, signed on December 1, 2016, after Howard Coble, who served in North Carolina's 6th congressional district for over 30 years. From the Guilford−Alamance county line to east of NC 54 in Graham, I-85, concurrent with I-40, is known as the Sam Hunt Freeway, named after R. Samuel Hunt, a representative for North Carolina's 25th House district as well as the Secretary for NCDOT, and this was approved on September 5, 1997. From Cole Mill Road (exit 173) to its interchange with US 70 (exit 178) in Durham, I-85, concurrent with US 70, is known as the Dr. John H. Franklin Highway, named after John Hope Franklin, an American historian and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, approved on October 5, 2017. Between Flemingtown Road (exit 220) to the Vance/Warren county line, the Interstate is known as the Andrea L. Harris Highway after Andrea Harris, a civil rights activist from the state. This designation was approved on December 15, 2023, by Roy Cooper.

I-85 also has two dedicated bridges it crosses, both in Gaston County. The bridge which the Interstate crosses over the South Fork River, a branch of the Catawba River, is known as the William James Pharr Bridge, named after William James Pharr Sr., a mayor of McAdenville for over 25 years. This was approved on August 5, 1994. The bridge which I-85 crosses over the main Catawba River between Gaston and Mecklenburg counties is known as the Cameron Morrison Bridge, which was named after Cameron A. Morrison, the 55th governor of North Carolina and known as the Good Roads Governor. It was signed on March 11, 1983. Despite the naming of the bridge, it has sparked controversy due to Morrison being remembered for leading the Red Shirts group. NCDOT has not announced any new petitions to change the name, but explained that applications could be considered.

Predecessor highways
The path that would eventually be developed into I-85 existed as a long trail running from Petersburg, Virginia all the way to Augusta, Georgia with a distance of over 500 mi, known as the "Great Trading Path". Most of this land was unexplored, with animals mainly traveling along it. American Indians had unique ways to mark their path by tying the sapling of a tree into a knot. Because of this, the top of the tree would always point to the correct direction. Although the tree was located somewhere within the territory of the present Cherokee tribe, authorities determined that the tree was located on or near the Great Trading Path within this area. The path, lesser known as the "Occaneechi Path", was mainly traversed by the two Siouan tribes, the Saponi and Occaneechi, often trading with the Cherokee and Catawba tribes, both of whom were enemies at the time. While the path was rather narrow and made by animals, it later became much easier to navigate through. Starting with the Europeans' arrival in the 1670s, the fur trade boomed and increased the demand for furs, leading the trail to become a wagon road in the 1740s.

Beginning in what was then known as Fort Henry and now is Petersburg, the travelers made their way into the state through the land now part of Granville County. This trail went through the counties of which I-85 would pass through, and the travelers eventually met the tribal groups that would form the names of several of the state's areas. The trail then made its way across the Tar, Haw, Uwharrie, and Yadkin rivers, most of them paralleling I-85. Upon reaching what would become Charlotte, the trail then split in two, with one of them heading for Columbia and the other towards Cherokee land near present-day Augusta. In 1670, John Lederer became the first European to explore the trail and describe it in his writings. In 1700, explorer John Lawson began his journey through the path. The trip took 59 days and covered a distance of over 550 mi. In 1799, when William Whedbee Kirkland built his house, Ayr Mount, the Great Trading Path had become a major thoroughfare through the state, with lots of cargo being transported. The amount of commerce brought through the route continued into the present day, where the road would then become known as I-85.

Initial design and construction
Parts of I-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 US 29 and US 70—is now a part of I-85 Bus. This was part of an 80 mi expressway completed in 1955 between Lexington and Hillsborough. One planned road was the Salisbury Bypass, 15 mi long with a $1-million (equivalent to $ in ) 880 ft 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, and the bridge, finished a year earlier, was grandfathered despite not meeting standards. The very first stretch of I-85 would later be completed, an 11.3 mi segment through Mecklenburg County. Known as the "Charlotte Bypass" at the time, this portion of the Interstate was fully opened to traffic on September 9, 1958. At the time, I-85 only served as a bypass of Charlotte, and was also referred to as the "US 29 bypass". Since I-85 was nothing more than a few segments of eleven and twelve-mile stretches, service stations were not far away by any means. Green guide signs were also erected to warn of any upcoming access roads ahead in case travelers would want to exit off the Interstate. To mitigate stress and panic, the common I-85 interstate shield with the colors red, white, and blue would occasionally show up to keep drivers relaxed, calm, and figure out which way they were going.

In 1960, I-85 underwent major renovations, with its first finished section in that year being an 18 mi segment within Vance and Warren counties, with the next segment after that being a 46 mi section between West Durham and Greensboro opening to traffic that year. A portion of US 29/US 70 also became I-85 after grade separations and access control were completed and secured. Before the end of the year, several other sections of I-85 were also completed and opened, with a 14 mi section of the "Charlotte Bypass", a 15.4-mile segment of the Salisbury Bypass, a 13.8-mile segment between Greensboro and Whitsett, an 18.3-mile segment between Henderson and the Virginia line, and the last section being a 22.2-mile segment between Whitsett and Efland. A section of I-85 from the end of the "Charlotte Bypass" to the NC 273 interchange near Belmont was planned to open on December 1 by the end of the year. This section of the Interstate had an estimated cost of $3 million with a length of approximately 4.7 mi and ended at NC 273. While the pavement at the interchange had been laid, traffic lights were not installed at the junction with Wilkinson Boulevard yet. The proposal was indefinitely delayed later on due to complications. Although the interchange was mostly complete, construction was still progressing on the south side of the intersection with traffic lights still to be installed. In addition, cold weather had also played a role in the delay. However, on January 17, 1961, this link of I-85 between Charlotte and Belmont opened to traffic at approximately 3:30 pm. To control traffic flow, special ultra-sonic vehicle detectors were placed over the Interstate. They were the first vehicle detectors to be used in the North Carolina highway system, and the detectors would count the amount of vehicles and regulate the traffic lights along the interchange to allow proper traffic safety. The Interstate would later on continue towards the South Carolina state line by avoiding Gastonia to the north.

On December 9, 1963, the County Commissioner of the state received a letter notifying that the Gastonia link of I-85 would be set for dedication on January 10. This link of I-85 would allow drivers to bypass Franklin Boulevard, the main street through the city, which was often congested and avoid over 22 traffic lights along the road. On January 10, 1964, the dedication of the I-85 link officially began with federal highway administrator Rex M. Whitton giving a rather short dedication speech. He noted that this link of I-85 was part of 107 mi of the entire Interstate's length in North Carolina. A ribbon-cutting ceremony then commenced with Whitton and his wife being driven to a ribbon. Upon snipping the ribbon, it officially opened this segment of I-85 that would skirt around the northern portion of Gastonia. 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. The Interstate had a total mileage of 133.6 mi through the state, which was more than any other Interstate in North Carolina at the time.

Projects and later history
Since its completion, many widening projects have been undertaken on I-85, particularly along the stretch of highway between Gastonia and Durham. On December 19, 1958, a highway fencing project during the Interstate's construction began to experiment with safety along the highway. As the first fencing project in the state, the contract price, done by the Butler Brothers of Greensboro, was estimated at a total of $103,000. Authorities announced that the fence would be worth the price if it would help cut down the number of accidents along the Interstate. Both sides–north and southbound–would have fencing extend a total of about 18 mi. Fencing would not be required if the highway would pass over steep cuts or high fills. There were two types of fencing that would be used. Near interchanges and through cities, heavy chain-link fencing would be placed. On the northern and western ends, woven wire fastened to wooden posts would have barbed wire both top and bottom. The project was estimated to use over 47000 ft of chain-link and 55000 ft of woven wire.

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 (equivalent to $ in ) project began in 1989. With the opening of a 2.3 mi section in Alamance County on November 23, 1994, 21 mi of I-85/I-40 were eight lanes. An additional 14 mi were to be ready by 1996, giving the Interstate eight lanes to where I-40 turned southward at Hillsborough. In addition, I-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. 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) and exit 55.

Following the completion of the widening of I-85 from milemarker 49 to 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 now complete as of May 2021. The first phase (from exit 55 to exit 63) began in early 2014, and the second phase (from exit 63 to exit 68) began in early 2017. Construction was completed by December 2017, which left I-85 with at least six lanes of highway between exits 10 (US 29 north/US 74—Kings Mountain and Shelby) and 164 (I-40 in Hillsborough). Around November 2021, a new project by NCDOT called the "Integrated Corridor Management System" began along I-85 in Mecklenburg and Gaston counties. The project used cameras, electronic signs, and traffic lights that were remote-controlled. This also involved upgrading 94 traffic lights, adding two signs, and placing 11 cameras into the system to help predict any potential accident.

I-85 Corridor Improvement Project
The I-85 Corridor Improvement Project, located in Rowan and Davidson counties, 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 (equivalent to $ in ) bridge in August 2012. The second phase of the project involved widening the northern segment of I-85 to a length of 3.8 mi. 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 (equivalent to $ in ) under budget. In addition to this, it also included placing 1.2 million cubic yards of embankment material, install 4 new miles of storm drainage, and ready about 320,000 square yards of road to add new pavement on it. Storm water would also be controlled by adding and modifying over 1,000 erosion control features. Other features of construction included temporary ramps to make the process of building the inner lanes easier. Trucks were also required to use these ramps to reduce the amount of truckloads that were along the Interstate. Upon completion of the project, this resulted in the Belmont Road interchange (exit 86) being reconstructed and the Clark Road interchange (exit 85) being closed permanently.

Incidents
A study by GPS tracking company Teletrac determined that I-85 in North Carolina was one of the deadliest and most dangerous roads to travel on in Charlotte, ranking 15th out of 30. The Interstate was estimated to have over 0.613 deaths per mile of highway, with over 408 deaths over its entire length, and the most common month being May.

The most deadly accident to ever occur along I-85 was in Salisbury, when a family from Maryland was traveling to South Carolina for vacation on July 8, 1995. Three members of the family were killed in the accident involving five cars. 11 others, including 5 children, were badly injured and taken to the hospital for treatment. On May 31, 2023, a large tractor-trailer hit and damaged the NC 86 bridge (exit 165) over I-85. While the crash itself did not cause any damage to I-85, the southbound lanes were closed for several days to repair and maintain the bridge while directing traffic along the interchange ramps.

Related routes
There are four auxiliary routes and one business loop in the state. I-285 runs concurrently with US 52 connecting I-85 to I-40 in the Winston-Salem metropolitan area. I-485 forms a beltway around Charlotte, serving as a bypass for I-85 and I-77. I-785 serves as a spur route, forming a portion of the eastern part of the Greensboro Urban Loop and in the future will connect to Danville, Virginia. I-885 connects I-85 to I-40 in the Durham area.

I-85 Bus. used to be a partial controlled-access highway, bypassing Lexington, Thomasville, High Point, and Greensboro which was decommissioned in 2019. Signage for I-85 Bus. remained until 2024, however.