Interstate 485 (I-485) is a

auxiliary Interstate Highway Auxiliary Interstate Highways (also called three-digit Interstate Highways) are a supplemental subset of the freeways within the Interstate Highway System of the United States. Auxiliary routes are generally classified as spur routes, which con ...

encircling

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. As a complete

loop Loop or LOOP may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live * Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets * Loop Mobile, an ...

, it is primarily signed with "inner" and "outer" designations, though at some major interchanges, supplemental signage reflects the local compass orientation of the road. The entire route lies within Mecklenburg County. A beltway for the

Charlotte metropolitan area The Charlotte metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as Metrolina, is a metropolitan area of the U.S. states of North and South Carolina, within and surrounding the city of Charlotte. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastonia, ...

was first proposed in the mid-1970s, with the first section opening in 1990. The beltway was completed in stages over the next several decades, with completion of the last segment of the highway on June 5, 2015.

Route description

I-485 travels around the city of Charlotte, with milemarkers beginning/ending at the

I-77 Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the ...

/ US Highway 21 (US 21) interchange with the highway near Pineville. Lane counts vary from four to eight, while the posted speed limit throughout is . The beltway is further broken down into four segments: Seddon "Rusty" Goode Freeway (southwest); Craig Lawing Freeway (northwest); H. Allen Tate, Jr. Highway (northeast); and Governor James G. Martin Freeway (southeast). The southwest segment is six lanes throughout, on

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

, and borders the Steele Creek area. Attractions in this area include the Charlotte Premium Outlets (exit 4) and

Lake Wylie Lake Wylie is a reservoir or man-made lake in the U.S. states of South Carolina and North Carolina. The lake has a surface area of 13,400 acres (54.2 km2) (20.9 mi2) (5420 ha) and features of shoreline. History The man-made lake was first form ...

. There are also two exits here for the

Charlotte Douglas International Airport Charlotte Douglas International Airport ( IATA: CLT, ICAO: KCLT, FAA LID: CLT), typically referred to as Charlotte Douglas, Douglas Airport, or simply CLT, is an international airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, located roughly six miles we ...

: exit 6 for the Air Cargo Center and exit 9 for the main terminal. The northwest segment of the beltway is six lanes throughout, on concrete. Attractions in this area include the

US National Whitewater Center The U.S. National Whitewater Center (USNWC) is a not-for-profit outdoor recreation and athletic training facility for whitewater rafting, kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, mountain biking hiking and ice skating which opened to the public on 2006 ...

(exit 12), Northlake Mall (exit 21), and

Mountain Island Lake Mountain Island Lake is a lake northwest of Charlotte, North Carolina created in 1924 to coincide with the building of Mountain Island Hydroelectric Station. It is named after the mountain which appears as an island in the lake, and the surrounding ...

. The northeast segment is eight lanes throughout, using both concrete and

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

, and borders Huntersville at its northernmost point. Attractions in this area include the

Carolina Renaissance Festival The Carolina Renaissance Festival is a 25 acre renaissance themed amusement park and one of the largest Renaissance fairs in America. The Festival is set in a fictional storybook village of "Fairhaven" and nestled within 325 acres of autumn wo ...

(October–November) and

Concord Mills Concord Mills is a shopping mall located in Concord, North Carolina. The mall is in Cabarrus County, just a few hundred feet from the Mecklenburg County border and Charlotte city limits, and about from Uptown Charlotte. It is one of two mal ...

. The southeast segment is the largest segment, which goes through the towns of Mint Hill,

Matthews Matthews may refer to: People * Matthews (surname) Places * Matthews Island, Antarctica * Matthews Range, Kenya * Mount Matthews, New Zealand United States * Matthews, Georgia * Matthews, Indiana * Matthews, Maryland * Matthews, Missouri * Mat ...

, and Pineville, as well as the notable Charlotte neighborhoods University City and

Ballantyne Ballantyne may refer to: People * Charles Ballantyne (1867–1950), Canadian politician * David Ballantyne (1924–1986), a New Zealand journalist, novelist and short-story writer * Edith Ballantyne (born 1922), Czech-born Canadian executive sec ...

area. Over of the segment is four lane, with six-to-eight-lane sections within the University City, Ballantyne, and Pineville areas, all on asphalt. Attractions in this area include

Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including th ...

(exit 32),

PNC Music Pavilion PNC Music Pavilion (originally Blockbuster Pavilion and formerly Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre) is an outdoor amphitheatre, amphitheater in Charlotte, North Carolina, that specializes in hosting large concerts. The venue largely replaced the Caro ...

, the

University of North Carolina at Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs through nine colle ...

(UNC Charlotte; exit 33), the

Sportsplex at Matthews The Sportsplex at Matthews is a large sports complex and park in Matthews, North Carolina, southeast of Charlotte, featuring 12 full-sized soccer fields anchored by a 2,300-seat stadium. The stadium currently seats 5,000 as it has been expanded ...

Carolina Place Mall Carolina Place (also referred to as Carolina Place Mall) is a shopping mall located in Pineville, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte. The GLA mall, in the shape of a curve, is anchored by Belk, a Dick's Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy combo ...

(exit 64B), and the

President James K. Polk Historic Site The President James K. Polk Historic Site is a museum and historic location in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and a historic site managed by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources' Historic Sites division. The prope ...

(exit 65B). Although the loop runs within of the

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

state line, and, within of the

Cabarrus County Cabarrus County ( )
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

I-277 and Route 4 are partial

ring road A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop, bypass or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city, or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist i ...

Orientation and signage

Since I-485 is a beltway, the compass orientation of the freeway is not uniform around the loop. To remedy the uniformity issue, the inner–outer orientation system was implemented and became the primary method of signing the direction of travel around the loop. Some sections of the loop are signed with additional north/south or east/west labels (depending on the general direction of travel along a particular stretch) to aid drivers familiar with compass directions. Usually when both systems are utilized on signs, the compass directional banner is placed above the number shield and the inner/outer banner is placed below. Officials originally decided to use only "north" and "south" compass directions when signing the route, but, because this would be confusing with multiple "norths" and "souths", "inner" and "outer" designations were included. Although "east" and "west" signs exist, these will be phased out in favor of "inner" and "outer" designations. Traffic traveling in a

clockwise Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back up to the top. The opposite ...

direction around the city of Charlotte is on the "Inner" loop and traffic traveling in a

counterclockwise Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back up to the top. The opposite ...

direction is on the "Outer" loop. This system can be confusing, but it is logical; since traffic in the US generally travels on the right side of the road, the clockwise traveling lanes will always be the "Inner" lanes of a loop. There are three control cities along the route: Huntersville,

, and Pineville. Secondary control cities, which include

Spartanburg Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. For a time, the Offi ...

, Statesville,

Greensboro Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...

, and Columbia, are also listed at various interchanges for travelers that want to bypass Charlotte to other destinations, via I-77 and I-85.

Dedicated and memorial names

I-485 in North Carolina is split into four dedicated or memorialized stretches of freeway: * Craig Lawing Freeway: The official name of the northwest section, named for W. Craig Lawing from milemarkers 10 to 23 that was approved on February 2, 2001. * Governor James G. Martin Freeway: The official name of the southeast section, from milemarkers 31 to 67. It was named in honor of Governor

James G. Martin James Grubbs Martin (born December 11, 1935) is an American organic chemist and politician who served as the 70th governor of North Carolina from 1985 to 1993. He was the third Republican elected to the office after Reconstruction, and the ...

who served North Carolina from 1985 to 1993 and was approved on December 4, 1993. * H. Allen Tate, Jr. Highway: The official name of the northeast section, from milemarkers 23 to 31. It was named after the founder of

Allen Tate Realtors Allen Tate Realtors is an independent real estate company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, with 41 offices and more than 1,500 employees in North and South Carolina. Founded in 1957, Allen Tate is the largest real estate company in th ...

and was dedicated on March 27, 2015. * Seddon "Rusty" Goode Freeway: The official name of the southwest section, from milemarkers 0 to 10. Seddon Goode served on the transportation board in Mecklenburg County and helped bring I-485 as a reality. It was approved on March 7, 1997. * Doctor Jay M. Robinson Freeway: It was the official name of the northeast section, from 2001–2015 and named after a former superintendent of the

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (abbreviated CMS) is a local education agency headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina and is the public school system for Mecklenburg County. With over 147,000 students enrolled, it is the second-largest school ...

system. Approved on January 5, 2001, it was never signed; when this section was finally constructed in 2015, it was redesignated to honor H. Allen Tate, Jr.

History

The first section of what became I-485 was completed around 1967, connecting a newly opened section of

I-85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 65, I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with Interstate 95, I ...

with

US 29 U.S. Route 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States highway that runs for from Pensacola, Florida to the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland in the Southern United States, connecting the Florida Panhandle to the Baltimore-Washington ...

near the Cabarrus–

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label=Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin ...

county line. This section became a part of I-485 on May 5, 1999, the first section of the highway on the north end of the county. In 1975, planning began for the Charlotte outerbelt. On July 8, 1988, Governor

and state transportation secretary Seddon Goode attended a

groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are o ...

near US 521, marking the start of construction on the first section between US 521 and

North Carolina Highway 51 North Carolina Highway 51 (NC 51) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina entirely in Mecklenburg County. It connects the towns of Pineville, Matthews and Mint Hill. Route description Though NC 51 begin ...

(NC 51). Martin also announced the designation "Interstate 485" for what had previously been called the outerbelt. The section opened November 1, 1990, two months earlier than planned. Still, because of all the development in the area, the highway immediately became inadequate for the area's needs and required widening. A $67.2-million (equivalent to $ in ) section of I-485 from US 521 to I-77 opened October 24, 1994. The section included a four-level interchange, the first and only in North Carolina, at its junction with I-77. On December 9, 1994, the section from NC 51 to Rea Road opened. On July 1, 1997, a $13.9-million (equivalent to $ in ) section of I-485 opened between I-77 and NC 49, a section designated the Seddon "Rusty" Goode Jr. Freeway, named for a member of the

North Carolina Board of Transportation The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is responsible for building, repairing, and operating highways, bridges, and other modes of transportation, including ferries in the U.S. state of North Carolina. History The North Carolina ...

who helped decide where I-485 would be built. On August 15, 1997, of I-485 opened between Rea Road and NC 16 (Providence Road). An $8.6-million (equivalent to $ in ) section from NC 49 to Brown-Grier Road in the Steele Creek community opened in two stages August 26 and 27; the name of Brown-Grier Road changed to Arrowood Road when that road was extended. opened September 15, connecting NC 16 to US 74. In May 1999, the original segment between I-85 and US 29 (North Tryon Street) was widened and upgraded to

Interstate standards Standards for Interstate Highways in the United States are defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in the publication ''A Policy on Design Standards: Interstate System''. For a certain highway to ...

, officially becoming part of I-485; a few months later, on August 13, the segment was extended to NC 49 (University City Boulevard). In December 1999, the main section of I-485 continued its extension north from US 74 to Idlewild Road, adding . In June 2000, another extension was completed, between Idlewild Road and Lawyers Road in Mint Hill, at a cost of $10.2 million (equivalent to $ in ). In 2003, the last needed to link main I-485 to its northern stub was completed, at a cost of $55.4 million (equivalent to $ in ). Opening in two phases, the first segment opened on September 3, 2003, between University City Boulevard and NC 27 (Albemarle Road); two months later, the second segment opened on November 19, between Albemarle Road and Lawyers Road. By end of 2003, I-485 was one continuous freeway between I-85 (near Concord) to Arrowood Road. On October 19, 2004, I-485 was widened, from four to six lanes between I-77/US 21 and Arrowood Road, and extended between Arrowood Road and I-85 (near Belmont). Completion of the $100-million (equivalent to $ in ) segment was noted that it would relieve traffic along the

Billy Graham Parkway A parkway is a landscaped thoroughfare.''"parkway."''Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster, 2002. http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com (14 Apr. 2007). The term is particularly used for a roadway in a park or ...

and provide an alternative route to

. On December 15, 2006, a segment between I-85 (near Belmont) and NC 27 (Mount Holly Road) opened; signed as Future I-485, it was also dedicated as the Craig Lawing Freeway. Six months later, on May 9, 2007, another segment, between Mount Holly Road and NC 16 (Brookshire Boulevard) was opened. On December 4, 2008, a segment between Brookshire Boulevard and NC 115 (Old Statesville Road) was opened; all future signage was removed from the previous segments, with new signage showing connection between I-77, toward Statesville, and I-85, toward Spartanburg. In 2011, West Boulevard interchange (exit 6) was opened to traffic, existing previously as a graded future interchange since 2004. The final segment, from I-77 to I-85 near the

UNC Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs through nine colle ...

, had begun the

right-of-way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

acquisition phase with contracts awarded in June 2010. The segment opened to traffic on June 5, 2015, finally completing the loop and providing a direct connection from I-77 near Huntersville to I-85 near Concord Mills. Since 2003, the

North Carolina Department of Transportation The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is responsible for building, repairing, and operating highways, bridges, and other modes of transportation, including ferries in the U.S. state of North Carolina. History The North Carolina ...

(NCDOT) made sure that future segments of I-485 were designed with a minimum of six travel lanes. While the first segments of I-485 were already choked by traffic, thanks to Charlotte's rapid growth, NCDOT could not immediately deal with the issue thanks to a 2000 policy that prevented the state using trust fund money, a major source of funding for new projects, to widen existing roads. Eventually, NCDOT was able to allocate new funds for a widening project, between US 521 (Johnston Road) and I-77/US 21, which was slated for construction in 2012. On November 18, 2011, NCDOT changed the plans with an extension of the widening project to Rea Road and additional space allocated for a future toll lane, between Johnston Road and I-77/US 21. Construction on the modified widening project began in 2013; at a cost of $83.3 million (equivalent to $ in ), the widening project was completed in December 2015. On January 15, 2017, the Oakdale Road interchange (exit 18) was opened to traffic, existing previously as a graded future interchange since 2008.

Future

Since November 18, 2011, NCDOT has made plans for future toll lanes along I-485. Modifying an already planned widening project between US 521 (Johnston Road) and I-77/US 21, it called on a future toll lane to be constructed as well as extending the widening project towards Rea Road. The future toll lanes, when completed would be between US 74 (Independence Boulevard) and I-77/US 21; in April 2014, the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO) adopted the 2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), which included establishing toll lanes along I-485. The first segment of the new toll lanes, between Johnston Road and I-77/US 21, were completed in December 2015 but were not opened. The new unopen lanes along I-485 became controversial and discussions were made about making it a

high-occupancy vehicle lane A high-occupancy vehicle lane (also known as an HOV lane, carpool lane, diamond lane, 2+ lane, and transit lane or T2 or T3 lanes) is a restricted traffic lane reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers, i ...

(HOV lane), or at least temporally; however, local and state officials said that could not be done and would cost more for just temporary use of the lanes. At a cost of $202.9 million, the I-485 Express Lanes project will establish new toll lanes along its entire planned route. It will also include the following improvements: adding additional general purpose lanes between Providence Road and Rea Road, extending auxiliary lanes between Independence Boulevard and East John Street, establishing dedicated connectors from the Express Lanes to Johnston Road (eastbound only) and Westinghouse Boulevard (westbound only), and incorporating the existing planned project of adding a new interchange at Weddington Road. Tolls would be collected using an electronic toll collection (ETC) system; drivers will need to have the

NC Quick Pass The North Carolina Turnpike Authority was created in 2002 to speed the implementation of needed transportation improvements by funding some projects with tolls. Governed by a nine-member authority board, it is located within the Department of Tra ...

, or other interoperable transponder, or will be billed by mail with a higher rate. Construction was slated to begin "tentatively" in mid-2018.

Exit list

Milemarker numbering along the loop freeway goes in a

direction, beginning and ending at the interchange with

/ US 21 in southern Charlotte.

References

External links

*
NCRoads.com: I-485
{{3di, 85 Transportation in Charlotte, North Carolina 85-4 85-4 485 4 Transportation in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina