User:Roadsguy/Interstate 885


 * This is a WIP draft of a stand-alone I-885 article. See discussion.

Interstate 885 (I-885) is a proposed 8.57 mi long auxiliary Interstate highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is planned to link Interstate 40 to Interstate 85 in the Durham area. The proposed route consists of two preexisting sections of freeway—North Carolina Highway 147 (NC 147/Durham Freeway) to the south and U.S. Route 70 (US 70) to the north—connected by the East End Connector, which is scheduled to open in November 2019. Sign plans from NCDOT indicate that I-885 is expected to be signed immediately upon the completion of the East End Connector, pending approval from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

Route description
The planned routing of I-885 begins at the interchange between I-40 and NC 147, running north with NC 147 on the Durham Freeway through the Research Triangle Park. Three closely-spaced interchanges link the route to E Cornwallis Road, TW Alexander Drive, and and Ellis Road. At the Durham city line, I-885 will diverge from NC 147 to head northeast on the East End Connector before joining US 70, curving to the northwest concurrent with the route. The freeway turns due north as it comes to NC 98 at a junction which is being rebuilt into a diamond interchange. This interchange also provides indirect access to US 70 Business. After continuing north and meeting Cheek Road, the freeway and proposed Interstate end at a semi-directional T interchange with I-85.

History
The first section of what will become I-885 to be constructed was the portion of US 70 between the East End Connector and I-85, completed by 1957 with US 70 relocated onto it. The East End Connector first appeared in Durham's 1959 thoroughfare plan, but was shelved and its funding diverted to other priorities such as NC 147, the Durham Freeway. The portion of NC 147 concurrent with the proposed Interstate opened in the early 1970s, including accommodation for an interchange with the Connector. The project would resurface in the 1990s when NCDOT studied it again, but it would not receive funding until it appeared in the 2009-2015 Transportation Improvement Plan. In the meantime, as part of a larger widening project on I-85, the early 2000s saw the reconstruction of the US&nbps;70 freeway between I-85 and Cheek Road, widening the section to six lanes and bringing it up to modern Interstate Highway standard as well as adding the missing movements at the interchange with I-85.

The I-885 designation did not become public knowledge until the release of signing plans in 2014, though NCDOT had not yet received approval from the FHWA. Construction on the East End Connector began in April of the following year. In addition to the construction of a short segment of new freeway between NC 147 and US 70, the section of US 70 between Creek Road and the Connector is being realigned and widened to six lanes. Work at the interchange between NC 147 and the Connector was expected to be completed in June 2018, but work in that area continues.

The East End Connector is expected to open in November 2019, at which point I-885 will be signed on the entirety of its proposed corridor. Finishing touches, such as the seeding of grass in the Connector project area, will continue into 2020.

Future
After the completion of the East End Connector, the portion of NC 147/I-885 between I-40 and the Connector is slated to be widened to six lanes to handle the increased traffic volumes as a result of the Connector. Construction is scheduled for 2022.