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Interstate 385 Southbound

Interstate 385 links Interstate 26 and the capital city of Columbia with Greenville and Interstate 85. The 42.16 mile freeway ends east of downtown Greenville as Business Spur 385 (North Street). This six lane arterial links the freeway with U.S. 29 (Church Street) near the BiLo Center at U.S. 123. Southward Interstate 385 saw its terminus originally at Interstate 85. The freeway alignment between Mauldin and Clinton (Interstate 26) at the same time carried the U.S. 276 designation. For a short period these two freeways existed independently of one another. However by 1982, the gap was bridged and thus Interstate 385 grew to its current length.

Interstate 385 is undergoing reconstruction with a planned widening to six lanes in the Greenville area. Began June 2001, this project is expected to conclude Fall of 2004. It encompasses the expansion of the roadway from Interstate 85 north to the Bi-Lo Center near Downtown. The existing median will be built upon with the addition of a concrete barrier and raised median for future landscaping. Additionally a portion of this project entails the conversion of the South Carolina 291 interchange from a full cloverleaf to a partial cloverleaf to eliminate the current scenario of weaving traffic patterns. The South Carolina 291 overpass is one of many that will be replaced to increase the height clearance. The northeast loop of the Interstate 85 interchange will also be improved.

Interstate 385 South
Business Spur 385 (North Street) southbound approaching the transition into Interstate 385 and the Exit 42 diamond interchange with U.S. 276 (Laurens Road & Stone Avenue). North Street reduces from a six lane arterial into a four lane freeway ahead. Photo taken 10/15/01.
Construction underway in association with the Exit 42 reconstruction saw the removal of the button copy overhead for U.S. 276 pictured above. North Street intersects Boyce Street just one block ahead of the ramp departure for U.S. 276 (Laurens Road). Photo taken 07/23/04.
Original button copy overheads posted at the gore point of Exit 42 (U.S. 276) and the southbound beginning of Interstate 385. Both of these signs were replaced with retroreflective panels by 2003. Photo taken 12/09/99.
However the reflective signs posted at the Exit 42 diamond interchange in the above photobox were removed with the overhead assembly for reconstruction of Interstate 385. U.S. 276 (Laurens Road) otherwise scoots underneath the freeway from Stone Avenue and U.S. 29 (Wade Hampton Boulevard) southeast toward Mauldin. Photo taken 07/23/04.
Construction underway for the six-laning of Interstate 385 between Exit 42 and South Carolina 290 (Exit 40). The original one-mile guide sign for Exit 40 remained in use for the partial-cloverleaf interchange with Pleasantburg Drive. Photo taken 07/23/04.
New mileage sign posted within the median of Interstate 385 for Exit 40B/A, Exit 39, and Columbia (via Interstate 26 east). Photo taken 07/23/04.
Widening of Interstate 385 entails the replacement of all overpasses above the six-lane freeway. Construction was underway at the time of this photograph on a new bridge for Lowndes Hill Road. An auxiliary guide sign is posted for the Palmetto Expo Center and Greenville Technical College to the right for Exit 40. Photo taken 07/23/04.
Original button copy sign bridge for the South Carolina 291 interchange (Exit 40). Reconstructed between 2001 and 2004, the junction with South Carolina 291 no longer resembles a full cloverleaf interchange. Due to weaving traffic concerns, two of the four loop ramps were eliminated, resulting in a six-ramp partial cloverleaf interchange and two new signalized intersections above. Coinciding with the project is the six-laning of the Interstate 385 freeway. Photo taken 10/15/01.
Interstate 385 southbound at the Exit 40B/A cloverleaf interchange before reconstruction. South Carolina 291 (Pleasantburg Drive) represents a busy north-south arterial between Interstate 85 and U.S. 29 (Wade Hampton Boulevard). The roadway itself sees a heavy amount of commercial development. Photo taken 06/23/00.
Haywood Road meets Interstate 385 at the Exit 39 diamond interchange after South Carolina 291 (Exit 40). The north-south arterial joins U.S. 276 (Laurens Road) with Pelham Road. Photo taken 07/23/04.
Exit 39 departs Interstate 385 southbound for Haywood Road. Use Haywood Road north for Pelham Road east, the community of Lake Forest, or East North Street. The Greenville Downtown Airport resides betwee Haywood Drive and South Carolina 291 (Pleasantburg Drive) to the south of the freeway. Photo taken 07/23/04.
Widening of Interstate 385 entails replacing the grassy median with a jersey barrier and inside shoulders to accommodate six lanes of travel within the existing right of way. A centerline mileage sign lists the distances to Exit 37, Exit 36, and the capital city of Columbia after the Haywood Drive on-ramp. Halton Road passes over the freeway in the distance. Photo taken 07/23/04.
Roper Mountain Road intersects Interstate 385 at the Exit 37 diamond interchange east of Greenville. The road stems east from the intersection of South Carolina 146 (Woodruff Road) and Verdae Boulevard to Garlington Road, South Carolina 14, and South Carolina 296 (Bennetts Bridge Road). Pictured here are two photos of the same scene taken just 12 hours apart. SCDOT crews installed a new overhead assembly for Interstate 85 (Exit 37) and Roper Mountain Road (Exit 36) overnight in time for the next morning's rush hour. Photos taken 07/23 & 07/24/04.
The 0.50-mile sign bridge for the Exit 36 directional cloverleaf interchange with Interstate 85 resides within the Roper Mountain Road diamond interchange (Exit 37). The original button copy guide sign remained in place as of Fall 2004 for the parent junction. Photo taken 07/23/04.
Interstate 385 reduces from six to four lanes at the ramp departure of Exit 36 onto Interstate 85. Interstate 85 constitutes a busy corridor between Atlanta, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina. The six-lane freeway serves the southern reaches of the Greenville metropolitan area and Spartanburg in the Upstate of South Carolina. Photo taken 07/23/04.
Interstate 85 traffic leaves Interstate 385 southbound via Exit 36. Directional ramps tie into Interstate 85 just east of its interchange with South Carolina 146 (Woodruff Road). Spartanburg is just a 22-mile drive to the northeast. Atlanta meanwhile lies 150 miles to the southwest. Photo taken 07/23/04.
Interstate 85 button copy guide signs on the southbound ramp from Interstate 385 (Exit 36). The directional cloverleaf features collector/distributor roadways on the Interstate 85 mainline itself. For a brief time, this interchange also composed the southern terminus of Interstate 385. Photo taken 07/23/04.
Opened Winter of 2001, the Southern Connector extends Interstate 185 southeast from Interstate 85 Exit 42 to Interstate 385 & U.S. 276 at the city of Mauldin. Pictured here is the northbound beginning of the tolled facility (Exit 31). Flyover ramps carry traffic to/from Interstate 385 to 185 north of the original Exit 31 diamond interchange with South Carolina 417 (Main Street). Ramps to Main Street now depart from the Interstate 185 roadway to the north. Photo taken 10/15/01.
Original button copy guide sign for the Exit 30 folded diamond interchange of U.S. 276. The off-ramp itself does not directly tie into U.S. 276, rather it descends into the intersection of Old Stage Road and Standing Springs Road. Traffic wishing to access U.S. 276 west utilizes the Standing Springs Road northbound on-ramp to the adjacent U.S. 276 freeway. Photo taken 10/15/01.
Interstate 385 is accompanied by a frontage road system from U.S. 276 (Exit 30) southward to Exit 22 (South Carolina 14 east). Pictured in this southward facing scene is a 2003 installed reassurance shield posted between the Exit 27 (Fairview Road) and 26 (Harrison Bridge Road) interchanges. Photo taken 01/04.
This lone sign advises motorists of the Interstate 385 southbound transition onto Interstate 26 east. Posted just south of the Exit 2 interchange, Interstate 385 enters the final 1.25 mile stretch. 57 miles separate this point with the Interstate 26 & 20 junction at Columbia. Photo taken 10/15/01.
Scenes Pertaining to Interstate 385
Span wire supported sign posted over South Carolina 291 (Pleasantburg Road) southbound at the partial-cloverleaf interchange with Interstate 385 (Exit 40). Two of the four loop ramps were recently removed to improve safety at the former full-cloverleaf interchange in 2004. Signalized intersections replace the loop ramps onto Interstate 385 from both directions of Pleasantburg Road. Photo taken 10/02/04.

Business Spur 385 South
Business Spur Interstate 385 is an unsigned highway entailing North Street between U.S. 29 (Church Street) and Exit 42 of Interstate 385. The five-lane surface arterial intersects the northern terminus of U.S. 123 (Academy Street) near the Bi-Lo Entertainment Center midway between U.S. 29 and the freeway. Photo taken 07/23/04.
Three blocks into the 0.4 mile Business Spur Interstate 385 southbound (North Street) at the intersection of U.S. 123 (Academy Way) & Williams Street. U.S. 123 constitutes a two-state route between Greenville and Toccoa, Georgia. The federal highway loops around downtown along Academy Street between North Street and New Easley Road. Photo taken 07/23/04.
A U.S. 123 shield resides on the far side of the North Street eastbound intersection with Academy Street. Although the route generally travels east-west, it is sign-posted as a north-south route. U.S. 123 intersects U.S. 29 (Church Street) three blocks to the north. Photo taken 12/08/99.
Scenes Pertaining to Business Spur 385
The only remaining Business Spur 385 shield to survive a reconstruction project at the Exit 42 interchange of Interstate 385 & U.S. 276. This assembly is posted on Laurens Road (U.S. 276) westbound nearing the junction itself. The diamond interchange of Exit 42 represents the northern end of Interstate 385 and southern end of Business Spur 385. No reassurance shields were ever posted eluding to the fact that North Street carries Business Spur Interstate 385 between U.S. 29 and the freeway. Photo taken 08/23/03.

Page Updated February 6, 2005.