Talk:Interstate 485/GA1

GA Review
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Nominator: 00:51, 14 May 2024 (UTC)

Reviewer: Bneu2013 (talk · contribs) 00:12, 9 June 2024 (UTC)

Starting review. Bneu2013 (talk) 00:12, 9 June 2024 (UTC)


 * I'll probably only be able to respond to the review around the 16th since I'm on vacation right now. NoobThreePointOh (talk) 04:29, 9 June 2024 (UTC)

Sorry, but I don't think this article is ready in its current state. Some comments below.


 * Infobox and lead


 * "Beltway around Charlotte, NC" is unconventional for a short description. For auxiliary Interstates, we would normally use something like "Interstate Highway in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Also, spell out "North Carolina".


 * Per WP:LEADCITE, The entire route lies within Mecklenburg County. needs a citation either here or elsewhere.


 * Use the date that the numbering was approved by AASHTO as the establishment date. This information can be found here. Also include this information in the history section.


 * Route description


 * Link first uses of all numbered routes.


 * Remove all redundant honorary names in the route description body that are mentioned in the "Dedicated and memorial names". I also suggest rearranging the "Dedicated and memorial names" section into prose form. Examples of this can be found at Interstate 40 in Tennessee and Interstate 75 in Michigan.


 * Cut The segment of I-485 from here to I-85 is the latest segment of the Interstate, completed in 2015.; this is covered in the history section.


 * Cut The interchange ramps were closed as part of a project to build express lanes along I-485 on August 1, 2023. and move to history section if necessary.


 * Use Convert for all precise mileage figures.


 * This isn't necessary if the current citations are adequate, but we usually use maps such as road atlases or ones provided by the respective DOT for route descriptions.


 * Third paragraph in "Orientation and signage" is not cited. Also suggest combining second and third paragraphs in this section and rewording as necessary.


 * Unclear if the inner-outer system has always been used on I-485.


 * Cut any other information that is irrelevant to this section.


 * History


 * Missing information about the background and planning of the route.


 * Since practically all of this route was built after the National Environmental Policy Act, it was most certainly subject to multiple environmental impact studies. I strongly suggest including information about these studies; as a bonus, an EIS will usually provide information about the planning and background of the project. Most of these are available on Google Books, the Northwestern University Transportation Library, HathiTrust, and other sources.


 * The first section opened around 1967, yet planning for the outerbelt didn't begin until 1975? Was the first section intended to be part of a different route? Clarification is needed for this.


 * Per WP:SUMMARY there are too many short paragraphs. I suggest combining them into longer paragraphs in order to ensure no more than four paragraphs per section in most instances. This is the formula I followed with Interstate 40 in Tennessee (an FA) and other road articles I have promoted to GA. Single sentence paragraphs like In 1975, planning began for the Charlotte outerbelt. are especially discouraged.


 * Suggest saying that the Governor and transportation secretary officiated the groundbreaking ceremony.


 * Add the dates that work began on each section or the contract was awarded, if available.


 * The entire widening project most certainly did not take place entirely in May 1999. Add the start and finish dates for the project. Ditto "October 19, 2004".


 * Reword NCDOT could not immediately deal with the issue thanks to a 2000 policy that prevented the state using trust fund money to less opiniated language.


 * had begun the right-of-way acquisition phase with contracts awarded in June 2010. - Right-of-way is usually acquired before construction contracts are awarded. This needs to be clarified.


 * I suggest splitting this section into subsections about initial construction and post-construction activities (widenings, new interchanges, etc.), although I am aware the latter began before the route was completed. You will likely end up with a separate subsection for planning too.


 * Rearrange sentences about future interchanges to include the grading first, followed by the opening date.


 * I'm seeing a number of redundancies and ambiguities throughout this section. For example In 2003, the last 12.5 miles (20.1 km) needed to link main I-485 to its northern stub was completed, at a cost of $55.4 million (equivalent to $88 million in 2023[48]). Opening in two phases, the first 7.5-mile (12.1 km) segment opened on September 3, 2003, between University City Boulevard and NC 27 (Albemarle Road); two months later, the second five-mile (8.0 km) segment opened on November 19, between Albemarle Road and Lawyers Road. No need to mention "2003" or "the last 12.5 miles" in the first sentence, although I do wonder if both sections were planned to open at the same time. Suggest rewording to something like "The 7.5-mile (12.1 km) segment between University City Boulevard and NC 27 (Albemarle Road) opened on September 3, 2003. On November 19, 2003, the adjacent five-mile (8.0 km) segment extending to Lawyers Road opened. This linked main I-485 (specify what "main I-485" is) to its northern stub.


 * seven-mile (11 km) segment was noted that it would relieve traffic along the Billy Graham Parkway and provide an alternative route to Charlotte Douglas International Airport. - did these benefits come to fruition?


 * No mention of the I-85/485 interchange project; I see citations for this elsewhere. I also suggest moving information about congestion at this interchange from the route description here.


 * Future


 * The toll lanes had likely been planned before November 18, 2011, since that is the date the article was published.


 * At a cost of $202.9 million, the 16.6-mile (26.7 km) I-485 Express Lanes project will establish new toll lanes along its entire planned route. - "its entire planned route" is ambiguous.


 * Construction was slated to begin "tentatively" in mid-2018, and is currently still going on as of 2024. - did construction start in mid-2018?


 * I suggest making this a subsection of the history section, and retitling it to something like "Toll lane construction".


 * Exit list


 * If you can find a better source than Google Maps for mileposts, this is preferred. Also, this source only covers roughly the western third of I-485.


 * Citations needed for future interchanges.


 * References and images


 * Several citations are dead and/or incomplete.


 * Images are awkwardly bunched together. Suggest alternating orientations.


 * Align images to where the photo of the reassurance marker appears in the "Orientation and signage" section. Reword caption to something like "A reassurance marker displayed on I-485 outbound near Matthews. As a complete beltway, I-485 uses the inner–outer directional system."