 |
Interstate 85 & U.S. 29 northbound reassurance markers posted between the Dixon School Road interchange and Exit 8 with North Carolina 161 (York Road). U.S. 29 follows much the Interstate 85 corridor from Auburn, Alabama northeast to Greensboro. Photo taken 10/02/04. |
 |
One-mile guide sign for Exit 8 (North Carolina 161) on Interstate 85 & U.S. 29 northbound. North Carolina 161 follows York Road south out of Kings Mountain to Bethany, South Carolina. South Carolina 161 continues ten miles from the state line to Filbert & York at U.S. 321. Photo taken 07/24/04. |
 |
Interstate 85 & U.S. 29 northbound at North Carolina 161 (Exit 8). The state highway intersects U.S. 74 Business (King Street) one mile to the north in Kings Mountain. From there North Carolina 161 follows Cleveland Avenue northward across the Gaston County line en route to Bessemer City (pop. 5,119). Photo taken 07/24/04. |
 |
The second and final set of Interstate 85 & U.S. 29 reassurance markers posted along their six-mile overlap. Photo taken 07/24/04. |
 |
Woodlake Parkway forms a northbound side frontage road of Interstate 85 & U.S. 29 between North Carolina 161 and Canterbury Road. The road is visible to the right as the freeway nears the Exit 10A/B directional-cloverleaf interchanges with U.S. 74 and the U.S. 29 split. Photo taken 07/24/04. |
 |
Canterbury Road passes overhead as Interstate 85 & U.S. 29 northbound split at Exit 10A. Traffic to U.S. 29 northbound departs the freeway ahead of the U.S. 74 eastbound ramp for Interstate 85 northbound. U.S. 29 merges with U.S. 74 otherwise along Franklin Boulevard into Gastonia (pop. 66,277). Photo taken 07/24/04. |
 |
Exit 10A leaves Interstate 85 northbound with U.S. 29 northbound for U.S. 74 east via Franklin Boulevard. U.S. 74 eastbound enters the scene ahead with ramps onto Interstate 85 northbound and Franklin Boulevard eastbound. The federal route travels a freeway westward from Interstate 85 around Kings Mountain. Photo taken 07/24/04. |
 |
A cloverleaf ramp facilitates the movements from Interstate 85 northbound onto U.S. 74 westbound at Exit 10B. U.S. 74 bypasses Kings Mountain along a four-mile freeway between here and Shelby Road. A Business loop of U.S. 74 serves downtown via King Street. Visible to the right is the Exit 10A off-ramp for U.S. 29 north & U.S. 74 east. Photo taken 07/24/04. |
 |
Interstate 85 northbound at the Exit 10B off-ramp for U.S. 74 west. U.S. 74 travels nine miles west to the Cleveland County seat of Shelby (pop. 19,477). The federal highway provides a direct route to the Interstate 26 corridor near Hendersonville for Charlotte based traffic interests. Photo taken 07/24/04. |
 |
Interstate 85 expands to six overall lanes from Exit 10 eastward into the greater Charlotte metropolitan area. Widening of the freeway in Gaston County was completed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The expansion includes a truck restriction for the left-lane throughout Interstate 85 in the Charlotte area. Mountain View uses the over crossing ahead. Photo taken 07/24/04. |
 |
Continuing eastward on Interstate 85 northbound toward Bessemer City and Gastonia. Intersecting the freeway ahead is Edgewood Road at the Exit 13 diamond interchange. Edgewood Road begins south of Interstate 85 at the Archie Whiteside Road intersection with U.S. 29 & 74 (Franklin Boulevard). Photo taken 07/24/04. |
 |
Now one mile west of the Edgewood Road exit for Bessemer City. Edgewood Road enters Bessemer City 0.9 miles to the north as Athenia Place. From there Athenia Place continues west as Alabama Avenue into downtown Bessemer City. Photo taken 07/24/04. |
 |
Motorists bound for Edgewood Road and Bessemer City depart Interstate 85 at the Exit 13 off-ramp. Use Edgewood Road northbound for North Carolina 274 (Tryon Courthouse Road) west to Cherryville. Photo taken 07/24/04. |
 |
North Carolina 274 follows 14th Street, Virginia Avenue, and the Gastonia Highway eastward out of Bessemer City three miles to junction Interstate 85 (Exit 14). Pictured here is the one-mile overhead for the folded diamond interchange with the state highway on Interstate 85 northbound. Photo taken 07/24/04. |
 |
Drawing to within one half mile of North Carolina 274 (Bessemer City Road) on Interstate 85 northbound. Bessemer City Road carries the state highway 1.1 miles southeast from West Gastonia and junction North Carolina 275 (Dallas-Bessemer City Highway) to Exit 14. Photo taken 07/24/04. |
 |
Northbound Interstate 85 at North Carolina 274 (Exit 14). North Carolina 274 (Bessemer City Road) continues 1.4 miles southeast from the freeway to U.S. 29 & 74 (Franklin Boulevard) in Gastonia. There the state highway joins the U.S. highway pair 2.1 miles east through downtown to Broad Street. North Carolina 274 links Gastonia with the Lake Wylie, South Carolina. Photo taken 07/24/04. |
 |
U.S. 321 (Chester Street) composes the main north-south highway through the Gastonia. The federal highway interchanges with Interstate 85 near Rankin Lake Park on the north side of town. A folded-diamond interchange provides the junction due to the parallel railroad line that follows U.S. 321. Photo taken 07/24/04. |
 |
The one-mile overhead for U.S. 321 (Exit 17) resides at the Davidson Avenue overpass on Interstate 85 northbound. U.S. 321 is vastly a freeway between Gastonia, Lincolnton (pop. 9,965), and Hickory (pop. 37,222) to the north. The freeway however begins 1.25 miles north of the interchange with Interstate 85. Traffic lights and at-grade intersections line that drive. Photo taken 07/24/04. |
 |
Interstate 85 northbound at the U.S. 321 (Chester Street) off-ramp of Exit 17. U.S. 321 follows Chester Street 1.1 mile south into downtown Gastonia. There U.S. 321 splits into a one-way street couplet of York Street (northbound) and Chester Street (southbound). 20 miles separate downtown Gastonia from York, South Carolina via U.S. 321 southbound. Photo taken 07/24/04. |
| The sixth in a series of interchanges to serve the city of Gastonia (pop. 66,277) and vicinity on Interstate 85 is Exit 21. Intersecting the freeway at this point is the north-south Cox Road. This surface highway links nearby U.S. 29 & 74 with the towns of Ranlo (pop. 2,198) and Spencer Mountain (pop. 51) to the north. Photo taken 12/30/03.
|
| Main Street crosses paths with Interstate 85 at the Exit 22 folded cloverleaf interchange. This junction serves the town of Lowell (pop. 2,662) and nearby Cramerton (pop. 2,976) to the southeast. North Carolina 7 also serves Lowell and the adjacent McAdenville (pop. 619). Photo taken 12/30/03.
|
| North Carolina 7 again interacts with Interstate 85 at the Exit 26 interchange. The highway travels the east-west McAdenville Road parallel to the northbound lanes of Interstate 85. The ramps to/from Belmont-Mt. Holly Road utilize North Carolina 7 on the northbound direction. Belmont-Mt. Holly Road travels between North Carolina 7 at Belmont (pop. 8,705) northward to North Carolina 273 at Mt. Holly (pop. 9,618). Photo taken 12/30/03.
|
| The 0.75 mile overhead for Exit 27 (North Carolina 273) is attached to the Belmont-Mt. Holly Road overpass of Interstate 85. The last interchange within Gaston County of Interstate 85 is the second for the Belmont and Mt. Holly communities. North Carolina 273 constitutes the main corridor between the two locales along Park Street and Pearl Beatty Drive. Photo taken 12/30/03.
|
 |
Interstate 85 northbound nears the Exit 30 interchange with Interstate 485 two weeks to the day that it opened to traffic. Interstate 485 loops south from Exit 30 to junction Interstate 77 near the community of Pineville. The completion of the southwest leg of the Charlotte beltway allows motorists to bypass downtown between Gastonia and Rock Hill, South Carolina along Interstates 85 and 77. Photo taken 10/02/04 |
| Now firmly entrenched within the Charlotte metropolitan area and Mecklenburg County, Interstate 85 enters the Exit 32 diamond interchange. Little Rock Road intersects the freeway at this junction, connecting U.S. 29 & 74 with North Carolina 27 in the process. Photo taken 10/05/01.
|
| Interstate 85 expands to eight overall lanes throughout the city of Charlotte. Depicted in this eastbound facing photograph is the 0.50 mile sign bridge of Exit 33 and the downtown Charlotte skyline. The partial cloverleaf interchange ahead marks the end of the divided Billy Graham Parkway. Formerly known as U.S. 521, the surface arterial links Interstate 85 and 77 with Charlotte-Douglas
International Airport. In 2003, North Carolina petitioned AASHTO successfully for the truncation of U.S. 521 southward to the Interstate 485 interchange at Pineville. Signs along Interstate 85 have yet to reflect the rerouting. Photo taken 12/30/03.
|
| With a frontage road in place, Interstate 85 turns northeasterly to bypass downtown Charlotte. Ahead is the interchange complex of Exit 34. There off-ramps exist to Tuckaseegee Road and North Carolina 27 (Freedom Drive). The junction between Interstate 85 and North Carolina 27 is composed
of a single point urban interchange (SPUI). Photo taken 12/30/03.
|
| Interstate 85 northbound at the Glenwood Drive diamond interchange (Exit 35). Glenwood Drive represents a local roadway between Tuckaseegee Road and Reliance Street. Photo taken 12/30/03.
|
| An auxiliary lane between Exits 35 and 36 increases the freeway capacity to ten overall lanes. The next interchange in line is the second SPUI for Interstate 85 within the city of Charlotte. Intersecting the freeway ahead is the east-west North Carolina 16 (Brookshire Boulevard & Freeway). Photo taken 10/05/01.
|
| The Exit 36 off-ramp departs ahead of the Rozzelles Ferry Road overpass of Interstate 85 northbound. North Carolina 16 composes an important link between Interstate 85 and Interstate 77 & U.S. 21 near downtown Charlotte. The multi-lane highway is partially a freeway between Bellhaven Boulevard and Interstate 77. North Carolina 16 itself transitions directly into Interstate 277 as the Brookshire Freeway. This connection allows travelers heading toward U.S. 74 (Independence Boulevard)
direct access to the departing federal highway. Photo taken 10/05/01.
|
| Rounding the bend between North Carolina 16 and Beatles Ford Road (Exit 37) on Interstate 85 northbound. A frontage road system continues for the freeway through this stretch of the city. Photo taken 12/30/03.
|
| Interstate 85 northbound at the Exit 37 folded cloverleaf interchange. Beatles Ford Road shadows Interstate 77 & U.S. 21 to the west between 5th Street near downtown and North Carolina 73 near Huntersville (pop. 24,960). Photo taken 12/30/03.
|
| Interstate 85 northbound near the Exit 38 junction with Interstate 77. Attached to the Beatties Ford Road over crossing is the second to last overhead for the ramps to Interstate 77. The north-south freeway skirts downtown Charlotte to the south. Overall Interstate 77 links North Carolina's largest city with Rock Hill and Columbia to the south and Statesville and Wytheville, Virginia to the north. Photo taken 10/02/04. |
| The interchange between Charlotte's busiest freeways is a complex directional cloverleaf interchange. Traffic from Interstate 85 to both directions of Interstate 77 & U.S. 21 depart the freeway together upon a short system of ramps. The connection between the two freeways features a reversed orientation of Interstate 77's travel lanes so that northbound is to the west of southbound.
This configuration allows for short connector ramps between Interstate 85 to Interstate 77 and vice versa. Photo taken 10/02/04.
|
| The partition of the Exit 38 off-ramp of Interstate 85 north to Interstate 77 & U.S. 21. The control points feature the capital city of South Carolina, Columbia and the city of Statesville (pop. 23,320), home to the Interstate 77 junction with Interstate 40. Photo taken 10/05/01.
|
| One-mile overhead for the Exit 40 partial cloverleaf interchange with Graham Street. This north-south arterial travels out of downtown between the Atando Junction and Derita neighborhoods of the city. U.S. 29 and North Carolina 49 utilize Graham Street within the central business district. Photo taken 12/30/03.
|
| Nearing the Sugar Creek Road diamond interchange at Exit 41. Sugar Creek Road serves the northern suburbs between Interstate 85 and Huntersville (via connections with Browne Road and WT Harris Boulevard). Photo taken 12/30/03.
|
| Interstate 85 northbound at the Sugar Creek Road overpass. One mile ahead is the ramp departure for the partial "Y" interchange of the U.S. 29 & North Carolina 49 connector. The freeway reduces from eight to six lanes at the upcoming junction. Photo taken 12/30/03.
|
| Interstate 85 closes the gap between Exits 41 and 42. The short freeway connector to U.S. 29 & North Carolina 49 (University City Boulevard) serves the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The piece of highway is significant in that it originally carried Interstate 85 to a temporary terminus. See Charlotte/Mecklenburg Aerial Photos, 1965 via Gribblenation.com for a historical photograph of this very interchange. Photo taken 12/30/03.
|
| Situated with Cabarrus County is the Exit 55 diamond interchange of North Carolina 73 (Davidson Highway) at Poplar Tent. The state highway links Interstate 85 with the city of Huntersville, town of Davidson (pop. 7,139) and the city of Concord (pop. 55,977). Photo taken 12/30/03.
|
| The Exit 58 cloverleaf interchange constitutes the main junction from Interstate 85 into the cities of Concord and Kannapolis (pop. 36,910). Intersecting the limited access highway there is the overlapped U.S. 29 & 601. The federal highways are home to nearby Carolina Mall and the Northeast Medical Center among other development. Photo taken 12/30/03.
|
| A collector/distributor system facilitates the movements between Interstate 85 and the Exit 58 on and off-ramps. Departing in this northbound photograph is the U.S. 29 & 601 c/d roadway at the Kannapolis Highway overpass. Photo taken 10/02/04.
|
| The joint Dale Earnhardt and Copperfield Boulevards junction with Interstate 85 at the Exit 60 partial cloverleaf interchange. The surface roadways skirt the eastern outskirts of Kannapolis from North Carolina 136 (Concord Lake Road). Photo taken 12/30/03.
|
| Northbound Interstate 85 at the Exit 60 off-ramp. The name Dale Earnhardt Boulevard is applied to the roadway west of Interstate 85. Copperfield Boulevard applies to the roadway southeast of Interstate 85. The highway was after the NASCAR racing legend since at least 1996. Kannapolis was the hometown of the seven time Winston Cup Champion. Earnhardt was fatally injured in a crash during a 2001 NASCAR event. Before his death, signs here simply displayed "Earnhardt Boulevard". Photo taken 12/30/03.
|
Page Updated January 11, 2005.
