Interstate 277 (North Carolina)

Interstate 277 (I-277) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US state of North Carolina. It serves as a partial loop around Uptown Charlotte.

Route description

I-277 is a four to eight-lane beltway that surrounds Uptown Charlotte. Starting at exit 9 on I-77/ US Highway 21 (US 21), the route is roughly rectangular shaped, with two right-angle curves, running southeast, southwest, then northwest to its end at exit 11 on I-77/US 21. At approximately the midpoint of the loop, it intersects with Independence Freeway, US 74. There are two concurrencies: the southern half of the loop with US 74 and the northern half with North Carolina Highway 16 (NC 16), with all three routes sharing a brief concurrency between Providence Road and the Independence Freeway. I-277 is signed both north–south and with inner–outer directions.

I-277 is one of three ring roads serving the Charlotte metropolitan area, the other two being I-485 and Charlotte Route 4.

Alternate names

Though the highway is commonly known as "Interstate 277" or "I-277" throughout the state, the highway does have other known names it uses locally in areas.

* Brookshire Freeway: official North Carolina name of I-277/ NC 16 from Independence Freeway to I-77/ US 21, named after former Charlotte Mayor Stan Brookshire (approved on September 8, 1975).
* John Belk Freeway: official North Carolina name of I-277/ US 74 from I-77/US 21 to Independence Freeway, named after former Charlotte Mayor and businessperson John M. Belk (approved on September 11, 1981).

History

The two freeway names were taken from former mayors of Charlotte, Stan Brookshire (1961–1969) and John M. Belk (1969–1977). The Brookshire was originally the Northwest Freeway (this name change took place in 1975), and the Belk is the newer stretch that was opened to traffic in two phases—the first in 1981 and the second in 1988. In addition, the Belk was the first section to be signed as I-277; the designation did not extend onto the Brookshire until 1987. Belk's family is also the same one who founded the Belk department store chain. Most local residents, as well as traffic reports airing on local radio and television stations, use the names "Belk" and "Brookshire" when referring to I-277 rather than the highway number.

I-277, as well as parts of I-77 and I-85, was notorious for being dark at night because its streetlights were not in working order. There were many different plans to replace the streetlights on this freeway, most of which had been in place since the early 1970s. A proposal to replace the streetlights with solar power was denied in 2007 because these lights weren't deemed bright enough (however, two solar-powered streetlights were operating on I-77 at the LaSalle Street exit until November 2007 and mounted on the same poles as their older counterparts but halfway down), so new electric-powered high-pressure sodium (HPS) streetlights would have to be installed instead. A relighting project finally got underway in October 2008, which involved setting up new light towers at the Independence Boulevard and I-77 exits, as well as installating new lights and removing the old nonworking ones on the Brookshire portion of the Interstate. This project was completed by the spring of 2009. A similar project was also done for the Belk portion of the Interstate. In addition, highly reflective signs were also installed on the entire loop to give drivers better vision at night without the aid of additional lighting. In 2018, new LED high-masts were installed at the southern I-77, South Boulevard, and Independence Boulevard interchanges, as part of a statewide conversion project; , the HPS lights on both I-277 and the Independence Expressway approach have been replaced with LED.

In April 2010, the new color-coded attraction guide signs were added along I-77 and I-277 to help visitors reach popular destinations, including: Bank of America Stadium, Spectrum Center, and the NASCAR Hall of Fame among others.

In 2018, work began on I-277's northern interchange with I-77, as part of a toll lane project on the latter highway that would connect Uptown Charlotte with the northern suburbs of Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, and Mooresville. Two new flyover ramps were constructed, and the existing flyover from the end of I-277 to southbound I-77 was rebuilt higher to accommodate the new ramps.

On September 1, 2019, the inner lanes of I-277 and their associated ramps were closed to vehicles for the first time, as part of a route for the city's inaugural ''Around the Crown'' 10K marathon that took place entirely in Uptown Charlotte. The runners raced counterclockwise on the Interstate between the Hill Street onramp to the Belk and the 11th Street offramp from the Brookshire.

In November 2019, I-277 was connected to the I-77 Express Lanes as the opening of the southern part of the I-77 Express lanes; at the same time, the last remaining HPS high-mast lights on I-277 were replaced with LED units.

Exit list

See also

* Bank of America Corporate Center
* Bank of America Stadium
* Duke Energy Center
* NASCAR Hall of Fame
* One Wells Fargo Center
* Spectrum Center

References

External links

*

I-277 (North Carolina) entry on Interstate-Guide

I-277 (North Carolina) entry on AARoads

{{3di, 77

Transportation in Charlotte, North Carolina
Transportation in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
77-2
77-2 North Carolina
2 (North Carolina)