North Carolina @ SouthEastRoads - Interstate 40 Eastbound & 85 Northbound

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Interstate 40 Eastbound & 85 Northbound

Interstate 40 East & 85 North
Interstate 85 northbound joins Interstate 40 east & 73 south at the split of Business Loop Interstate 85 & U.S. 29-70. Interstate 40 ties into Interstate 85 northbound with Interstate 73 south from the southwest leg of the Greensboro Beltway from PTI Airport and Interstate 840 along Painter Boulevard. Painter Boulevard is the name applied to the Interstate 40 and 85 bypass of Greensboro between Exits 121 and 132. Photo taken 07/24/04.

Concrete ramp stub for the future Interstate 40 westbound ramp from Interstate 85 northbound (Exit 121). Construction was slated for completion on the southwest leg of the Greensboro Beltway by 2007, but did not occur until February 21, 2008. At that time existing Interstate 40 through Greensboro became Business Loop Interstate 40. Photo taken 07/24/04.

Pier supports in place for the eventual Interstate 40 eastbound ramp onto Interstate 85 northbound at Exit 121. Interstate 40 & 85 overlap from Greensboro eastward to Exit 163 at Hillsborough. Photo taken 07/24/04.

Passing under the new Interstate 40 east & 73 south flyover ahead of their merge with Interstate 85 north during construction. The new flyover to Interstate 40 west & 73 north from Interstate 85 north passes in the background Photo taken 06/22/05.

Additional unopened roadway in association with the merge of Interstate 40 eastbound onto Interstate 85 northbound. Interstate 73 also ties into the Greensboro Beltway between U.S. 220 and Piedmont Triad International Airport (Bryan Boulevard) west of the city. Ramps were unconstructed at between Interstate 85 & Future Interstate 40 and U.S. 220 / Future Interstate 73 until 2005. Photo taken 06/22/05.

Empty sign brackets coincided with the Exit 124 sign bridge for eventual Interstate 73 & U.S. 220 panels. Traffic to U.S. 220 / Future Interstate 73 southbound used to travel Business Loop Interstate 85 & U.S. 29-70 north to their interchange with the federal highway. Interstate 73 however now joins Interstates 40 & 85 from the U.S. 220 freeway west to Exit 120. Photo taken 07/24/04.

A rare occurrence in the Interstate system happens briefly between Exits 219 and 220, where Interstates 40, 73, and 85 combine. The only other occurrences at present are with Interstates 39-90-94 in Wisconsin and Interstates 55-64-70 in St. Louis. While brief, Future Interstate 73 quickly departs via Exit 220 onto U.S. 220 south for Randleman and Asheboro. Photo taken by Jamie Dzencelowcz (02/23/08).

Exit 220 consists of a three-quarter cloverleaf interchange between Interstates 40, 73, 85 and U.S. 220. Two of the eight movements are missing due to the nearby confluence of U.S. 220 with Business Loop Interstate 85 & U.S. 29-70. U.S. 220 continues from there with the trio eastward to Henry Boulevard. Southward, Future Interstate 73 follows U.S. 220 southward to Interstate 74 at Randleman and both highways to Ellerbe. Photo taken by Jamie Dzencelowcz (02/23/08).

0.75-mile overhead for the Exit 124 off-ramp to Elm-Eugene Street at the Woodlea Lakes section of Greensboro. Elm-Eugene Street travels north-south between Randleman Road and downtown Greensboro. Photo taken 07/24/04.

Interstate 40 east & 85 northbound reassurance markers posted ahead of Randleman Road overpass. Photo taken 06/22/05.

Small mileage sign posted on Interstate 85 north & Interstate 40 eastbound for Burlington, Durham, and Raleigh. The Interstate 40 & 85 overlap totals 46 miles now that Interstate 40 was relocated onto Painter Boulevard. Painter Boulevard overall tallies 20 miles as it bypasses downtown. Photo taken 07/24/04.

Interstate 85 north & 40 eastbound at Exit 124 (Eugene-Elm Street). Eugene-Elm Street travels 2.5 miles north to interchange with Business Loops Interstate 40 & 85 (Exit 125) south of the Greensboro central business district. Southward the street ends at Randleman Road (former U.S. 220) in 1.5 miles. Photo taken 07/24/04.

Interstate 85 shield posted after the South Elm-Eugene Street diamond interchange. Photo taken 06/22/05.

Painter Boulevard crosses over Pleasant Garden Road and the Norfolk-Southern Railroad line ahead of its interchange with U.S. 421 (Joseph M. Hunt Jr. Expressway). U.S. 421 interchanges with Interstates 40 & 85 near Pleasant Garden (pop. 4,714) as a multi-lane divided surface arterial. Photo taken 07/24/04.

A collector/distributor roadway facilitates the movements between Interstates 40 & 85 and U.S. 421 (Joseph M. Hunt Jr. Expressway) at Exits 126A/B. The c/d roadway claims the lane gained from Exit 124. Photo taken 06/22/05.

Exit 126 leaves Interstates 40 east & 85 north for U.S. 421 south and north. U.S. 421 southbound travels by Liberty (pop. 2,661) and Siler City (pop. 6,966) on the 46-mile drive between Pleasant Garden and Sanford (pop. 23,220). Photo taken 07/24/04.

Six lanes of Interstates 40 & 85 pass over the U.S. 421 interchange at Exit 126A/B. Exit 126A departs the adjacent ramp for U.S. 421 southbound to Julian. U.S. 421 follows a divided highway 15 miles southeast to the Siler City freeway bypass. Photo taken 07/24/04.

Exit 126B loops onto U.S. 421 (Joseph M. Hunt Jr. Expressway) northbound for downtown Greensboro. The federal highway meets Business Loops Interstate 40 & 85 and U.S. 29-70 in four miles at the Lincoln Heights section of the city. From there U.S. 421 joins Business Loop Interstate 40 west to Winston-Salem. Photo taken 07/24/04.

The next interchange of Painter Boulevard serves Alamance Church Road at Exit 128. Alamance Church Road stems east 15.3 miles from the intersection of U.S. 421 and Patton Avenue to Kimesville at the Alamance County line. Pictured here is the one-mile overhead for Exit 128 and the Wiley Lewis Road over crossing. Photo taken 07/24/04.

Drawing to within one-half mile of the Alamance Church Road interchange on Interstate 85 north & Interstate 40 east. Wiley Lewis Road intersects Alamance Church Road near the Exit 128 interchange. Use Wiley Lewis Road north to Lee Street and North Carolina 6. Photo taken 07/24/04.

Interstate 40 east & 85 northbound at the Exit 128 off-ramp to Alamance Church Road and Wiley Lewis Road. Wiley Lewis Road becomes North Carolina 6 at junction Business Loops Interstate 40 & 85 2.1 miles to the north. The state route loops through downtown Greensboro between there and Exit 28 of Business Loop Interstate 40 & U.S. 421. Photo taken 07/24/04.

Youngs Mill Road intersects Painter Boulevard at Exit 129 one mile east of Alamance Church Road. The north-south roadway links Millpoint Road with McConnell Road. Photo taken 06/22/05.

Northbound on Painter Boulevard at the Young Mill Road off-ramp (Exit 129). Included on the Exit 129 sign bridge is the first sign of the Exit 131 junction with Business Loops Interstate 40 & 85, and Future Interstate 840. Photo taken 07/24/04.

Painter Boulevard nears its merge with Business Loops Interstate 40 & 85 at Exit 131. The right-hand lanes default onto Future Interstate 840 west and for the Exit 131 ramp back to Greensboro. The freeway mainline curves northeast to merge with the Business loops en route to Burlington and Durham. Photo taken 07/24/04.

Interstates 40 east & 85 north depart the Greensboro area as Future Interstate 840 westbound begins. At present the northeast leg of the Greensboro Beltway consists of a two-mile freeway spur between here and U.S. 70 (Burlington Road). Traffic destined for Business Loops Interstate 40 west & 85 southbound is directed onto Future Interstate 840 west briefly. Future Interstate 840 is simply signed as "TO U.S. 70" from Interstate 40 & 85 at present. Photo taken 07/24/04.

Interstate 40 east & 85 northbound curve underneath the Future Interstate 840 overpasses ahead of their interchange with Mount Hope Church Road (Exit 132). Mount Hope Church Road carries motorists 4.3 miles north to McLeansville (pop. 1,080) via McLeansville Road. Photo taken 06/22/05.

Exit 132 departs Interstate 40 east & 85 north for Mount Hope Church Road. Millstream Road ties into Mount Hope Church Road nearby from Stewarts Mill to become the eastbound side frontage road of Interstates 40 & 85. Knox Road departs Mount Hope Church Road to the north for U.S. 70 near Sedalia as well. Photo taken 08/08/04.

After the merge of Business Loop Interstate 85 northbound, Interstates 40 & 85 consist of an eight-lane freeway between Greensboro and Hillsborough. Pictured here is the one-mile sign bridge for Exit 135 (Rock Creek Dairy Road). Additionally a truck restriction is applied to the left-hand lane of Interstate 40 & 85 between Greensboro and their split at Durham. Photo taken 06/22/05.

Interstate 40 east & 85 north at Exit 135. Rock Creek Dairy Road stems south from nearby U.S. 70 (Burlington Road) 4.9 miles to Mount Hope Church Road in southeast Guilford County. U.S. 70 enters the scene from Sedalia (pop. 618) to the west and Whitsett (pop. 686) to the east. Photo taken 08/08/04.

The freeway next interchanges with North Carolina 61 at Exit 138 near the village of Whitsett. The state highway travels 8.2 miles between North Carolina 100 to the north and North Carolina 62 to the south. Photo taken 08/08/04.

0.50-mile overhead for North Carolina 61 (Exit 138) on Interstate 40 east & 85 north. North Carolina 61 joins North Carolina 100 (Whitsett Street) northeast to Gibsonville (pop. 4,372). North Carolina 100 itself ends at U.S. 70 (Burlington Road) at Whitsett. Photo taken 08/08/04.

North Carolina 61 traffic leaves Interstate 40 east & 85 north at the Exit 138 diamond interchange. At Gibsonville, North Carolina 61 & 100 split for Reidsville (pop. 14,485) via North Carolina 150 and Elon College (pop. 6,738) respectively. Photo taken 08/08/04.

Interstate 40 & 85 cross the Alamance County line as they enter the Burlington area. Six interchanges serve the city of 44,917. The first Burlington exit comprises the Exit 141 diamond interchange at Huffman Mill Road. Road construction present at the one-mile overhead involves the construction of a new boulevard between Kirkpatrick Road and Westbrook Avenue. Photo taken 08/08/04.

Signed simply as "Elon", Exit 141 joins Interstate 40 & 85 with Huffman Mill Road at Kirkpatrick and Garden Roads. Use Garden Road northwest to Williamson Avenue for the town of Elon College. Huffman Mill Road constitutes a surface arterial between the freeway and U.S. 70 (S. Church Street). Photo taken 08/08/04.

North Carolina 62 returns to Interstate 85 at Exit 143. The state highway interchanged with the Interstate previously outside of Archdale in the Piedmont Triad. Here, North Carolina 62 follows Alamance Road northward from Alamance into downtown Burlington in conjunction with U.S. 70 (Church Street). Photo taken 08/08/04.

Interstate 40 east & 85 north at the Exit 143 diamond interchange with North Carolina 62 (Alamance Road). North Carolina 62 serves the Alamance Municipal Airport 1.1 mile to the south. Northward Alamance Road carries the state route 1.3 miles to junction U.S. 70 at the North Carolina 54 (Chapel Hill Road) western terminus. Photo taken 08/08/04.

Near the Tucker Street overpass is the one-mile overhead for Exit 145 (North Carolina 49) on Interstate 40 east & 85 north. North Carolina 49 (Maple Avenue) sinks south from Burlington 18 miles to Liberty (pop. 2,661) in northeast Randolph County. Photo taken 08/08/04.

Like the North Carolina 62 interchange, Exit 145 also serves downtown Burlington by way of North Carolina 49 (Maple Avenue) northbound. The state highway merges with North Carolina 54 (Chapel Hill Road) onto Harden Street just north of Interstates 40 & 85. North Carolina 100 stems north from mix via Maple Avenue to Anthony Street and North Carolina 87 (Webb Avenue) on the drive to downtown. Photo taken 08/08/04.

North Carolina 87 joins North Carolina 49 & 54 along Harden Street from Webb Avenue into downtown Graham. Graham (pop. 12,833) is an eastern suburb of Burlington located just north of the Exit 147 interchange of Interstates 40 & 85. North Carolina 87 turns southward onto Main Street from Harden Street to the partial-cloverleaf interchange of Exit 147. Photo taken 08/08/04.

Interstate 40 east & 85 north at Exit 147 (North Carolina 87). Main Street comprises a multi-lane surface arterial for North Carolina 87 between downtown Graham and Swepsonville Road. North Carolina 87 leaves the area for Eli Whitney (12 miles to the south) and Pittsboro (pop. 2,226) 27 miles to the south at junction U.S. 64. Photo taken 08/08/04.

Traffic merging onto Interstate 40 east & 85 north form an exit-only lane to North Carolina 154 (Exit 148). North Carolina 54 continues Harden Street eastbound from downtown Graham to Exit 148. From there the state highway continues four miles to Melville and junction North Carolina 119 (Swepsonville Road). Photo taken 08/08/04.

North Carolina 54 provides an alternate route between Burlington and Graham to Carrboro (pop. 16,782) and Chapel Hill (pop. 48,715) in lieu of Interstate 40. The state highway reaches Carrboro in 24 miles and interchanges with Interstate 40 again at Exit 273. North Carolina 49 splits with North Carolina 54 via Elm Street for U.S. 70 and Haw River to the north. Photo taken 08/08/04.

Exit 150 is signed as the preferred route to Haw River (pop. 1,908) from Interstates 40 & 85. Intersecting the freeway ahead is Jimmie Kerr Road. Jimmie Kerr Road acts as a connector between Cherry Lane and Trollingwood Road north of the freeway. Photo taken 08/08/04.

The campus of Alamance Community College resides along Jimmie Kerr Road south of the Exit 150 diamond interchange. Use Trollingwood Road north for U.S. 70 and Haw River to connect with Wilkins Road and North Carolina 49 (Roxboro Road). North Carolina 49 travels from there two miles to Green Level (pop. 2,042) on the northeast trek to Roxboro (pop. 8,696) in Person County. Photo taken 08/08/04.

Interstate 40 eastbound & 85 northbound at the off-ramp to Jimmie Kerr Road and Haw River (Exit 150). Haw River lies 1.7 miles to the north via Trollingwood Road to junction U.S. 70 (Main Street). Photo taken 08/08/04.

Trollingwood Road itself interchanges with Interstates 40 & 85 at Exit 152 near Florence Town and Hawfields. Pictured here is the one-mile overhead for Exit 152 at the Cherry Lane Road over crossing. Photo taken 08/08/04.

A diamond interchange facilitates the junction between Interstates 40 & 85 and Trollingwood Road at Exit 152. Trollingwood Road intersects Gibson Road to the north at Florence Town and North Carolina 119 (S. 5th Street) at Hawfields. Photo taken 08/08/04.

North Carolina 119 (S. 5th Street) intersects Interstates 40 & 85 at the next interchange beyond Trollingwood Road. The state highway travels northeast from North Carolina 54 near Swepsonville into the city of Mebane (pop. 7,284). Photo taken 08/08/04.

Interstate 40 east & 85 north near the Orange County line at the Exit 154 diamond interchange with Mebane-Oaks Road. Mebane-Oaks Road stems south from North Carolina 119 (5th Street) in Mebane (pronounced Meh-bin) nine miles to Oaks at junction North Carolina 54. Photo taken 08/08/04.

Exit 154 overhead at the Mebane-Oaks Road off-ramp of Interstate 40 east & 85 north. Downtown Mebane lies 1.75 miles to the north via Mebane-Oaks Road and North Carolina 119 (5th Street). North Carolina 119 joins U.S. 70 for three blocks along Center Street in downtown. Photo taken 08/08/04.

Buckhorn Road interchanges with Interstates 40 & 85 at Exit 157 in western Orange County. Buckhorn Road ends one half mile to the north of Exit 157 at junction U.S. 70. Photo taken 08/08/04.

One-mile overhead of Exit 157 on Interstate 40 east & 85 north at the SR-1144 overpass. Buckhorn Road serves the eastern reaches of Mebane via U.S. 70 west. Photo taken 08/08/04.

Interstate 40 east & 85 north at the Exit 157 diamond interchange with Buckhorn Road. Buckhorn Road continues south from here 7.5 miles through rural landscapes to Orange Grove. Photo taken 08/08/04.

Continuing on the Interstate 40 & 85 freeway east toward Efland and Hillsborough (pop. 5,446). Mt. Willing Road intersects the freeway via a diamond interchange at Exit 160 1.25 miles ahead. Photo taken 08/08/04.

Entering the Exit 160 interchange with Mt. Willing Road. Mt. Willing Road loops northeast from Buckhorn Road 7.1 miles to Forrest Avenue in Efland. Photo taken 08/08/04.

Exit 161 joins an access road between Interstates 40 & 85 and U.S. 70 west of Hillsborough. The access road merges onto U.S. 70 eastbound via a partial "Y" interchange one half mile northeast of its diamond interchange with Interstates 40 & 85. U.S. 70 follows Cornelius Street 2.5 miles east from there to junction North Carolina 86 in Hillsborough. Photo taken 08/08/04.

Interstate 40 & 85 split at the Exit 163 directional interchange outside of Hillsborough. A diagrammatical overhead advises motorists of the partition for Interstate 85 north to Durham (pop. 187,035) and Interstate 40 east to Raleigh (pop. 276,093). Photos taken 08/08/04 and 06/05/05.

Between Exits 161 and 163, Interstate 40-85 is also designated as Truck North Carolina 86. The truck route provides a bypass for North Carolina 86 traffic around Hillsborough. To continue south on Truck North Carolina 86, follow Interstate 85 north until Exit 165. Photo taken 06/05/05.
Interstate 40 sinks southeast from Interstate 85 Exit 163 eight miles to Chapel Hill and 12 miles to southwest Durham. The freeway travels a 1980s-constructed bypass of Durham between Interstate 85 and North Carolina 147 (Durham Freeway) at Research Triangle Park. Before the opening of that highway, Interstate 40 utilized the Buck Dean and Durham Freeways from downtown Durham to Research Triangle Park. Photo taken 06/05/05.

The three left-hand lanes of Interstates 40 & 85 default onto Interstate 85 northbound for downtown Durham and Petersburg, Virginia. Interstate 40 consists of a four-lane freeway through to Chapel Hill and south Durham. The Interstate reaches the capital city of Raleigh in 50 miles. Downtown Durham lies 14 miles to the east. Photo taken 06/05/05.

The Exit 163 split of Interstate 40 eastbound from Interstate 85 northbound. Interstate 40 ends 161 miles to the southeast at Wilmington (pop. 75,838). Interstate 85 continues another 70 miles to the Virginia state line and 139 miles to its northern terminus at Interstate 95 in Petersburg (pop. 33,740). Photo taken 06/05/05.

Page Updated March 2, 2008.