Interstate 785 (I-785) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US state of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. , it is completed through eastern

Guilford County Guilford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population is 541,299, making it the third-most populous county in North Carolina. The county seat, and largest municipality, is Greensboro. Si ...

, through a

concurrency Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with I-840 along the Greensboro Urban Loop. When completed, it will connect Greensboro to

Danville, Virginia Danville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, located in the Southside Virginia region and on the fall line of the Dan River. It was a center of tobacco production and was an area of Confederate activity ...

, a distance of about .

Route description

I-785 begins at the interchange of I-40/

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 ...

. Heading north, it connects with US Highway 70 (US 70) before ending at its current northern terminus at

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 ...

. The entire route is in concurrency with I-840. Future corridor signs of I-785 are marked along US 29 between Greensboro and Danville. The next phase of this project is now funded by 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) from its current ending point at exit 14 to US 29/ US 158 exit 153 at the northernmost Reidsville city limits. While fully funded, the project is divided into schedule to begin in 2020 with two interchanges located within Guilford and Rockingham counties. In Virginia, State Route 785 (SR 785) is the unsigned interim route number until I-785 is built 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 ...

History

The designation was approved in 1997 at the request of a coalition of counties in North Carolina and Virginia who saw it as a way of further developing that area's economy. Most of the route will use existing US 29 north of Greensboro; however, for a few miles I-785 will run between US 29 and its parent route,

on the Greensboro Urban Loop, which will also carry the I-840 designation. Construction of this highway was due to begin in 2011. With the upgrade of the

Danville Expressway U.S. Route 29 (US 29) is a major north–south route in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It covers from the North Carolina border at the city of Danville to the Key Bridge in Washington, D.C. US 29 roughly bisects Virginia into eastern and ...

to a four-lane route in 2004, the I-785 route in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

is complete (and has been given the interim designation SR 785), but US 29 still needs to be upgraded to

in North Carolina between the Greensboro Loop and Reidsville before the route can be signed as an Interstate. At that time, there were no projects scheduled by NCDOT to do so. Given that in the spring of 2006 NCDOT put up mileposts and added numbers to exit signs from Reidsville to the Virginia border reflecting US 29's mileage, an upgrade of this highway to an Interstate apparently was not in their immediate plans. On July 31, 2013, NCDOT got approval from the

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...

(FHWA) to cosign the first section of I-785 with I-840 in eastern Guilford County officially establishing I-785 in North Carolina. The next section of I-785 opened on December 6, 2017, with hidden concurrency of I-840. With an estimated cost of $119 million (equivalent to $ in ), the section, completing the eastern segment of the Greensboro Urban Loop, goes from US 70 (Burlington Road) to US 29, with an interchange at Huffine Mill Road. On September 13, 2019, a Reidsville Transportation Forum was held where it was announced I-785 is now funded and committed by NCDOT from its current ending point at exit 14 to US 29/US 158 exit 153 at the northernmost Reidsville city limits. Many officials from the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

and NCDOT presented at the forum, with the Reidsville Chamber of Commerce sharing quotes from these officials afterward regarding I-785. The construction of I-785 being extended to the city of Reidsville is a reflection of the city's growth as a center of transportation and commerce in the north Greensboro metropolitan area connecting with the Reidsville US 158 corridor.

Future

Once the entire Greensboro Urban Loop is completed, NCDOT and Greensboro DOT plan to extend Cone Boulevard (SR 2565) toward the McLeansville area and add an interchange. Plans for the interchange have existed since 2004; however, no time table or funding is available at this time, as it is expected to wait for the completion of the Greensboro Urban Loop. The state has allocated funding as of September 2019 to upgrade US 29 north of I-785 to the US 158/ North Carolina Highway 14 (NC 14) junction in Reidsville to interstate standards, necessary for I-785 to be signed northward to Virginia, however construction is scheduled towards the middle of the decade, after the completion of the urban loop, and is estimated at a cost of $89 million. Roadway improvement and interchange upgrades to Summit Avenue (SR 2526) and Reedy Fork Parkway (SR 2790) in Browns Summit is planned to begin in 2020 with a scheduled completion in 2023, known as STIP Number R-4707, with an estimated cost of $44.1 million. NCDOT is currently upgrading exit signage for the current US 29 freeway stretch situated north of NC 14 in Reidsville. I-785 is now funded and committed project by NCDOT from its current ending point at exit 14 to US 29/US 158 exit 153 at the northernmost Reidsville city limits. While fully funded, the project is divided into schedule to begin in 2020 with two interchanges located within Guilford and Rockingham counties.

Exit list

References

External links

* {{3di, 85 85-7 North Carolina 85-7 85-7 7 85-7 Transportation in Greensboro, North Carolina Transportation in Danville, Virginia