Interstate 85 Business (North Carolina)

Interstate 85 Business (commonly known as just "Business 85") is a business loop of the Interstate Highway System, running from Interstate 85 southwest of Lexington, North Carolina through Lexington, Thomasville, High Point and Greensboro to I-85 east of Greensboro. It consists of two sections, separated by a 2-mile (3 km) hiatus along I-85. The southern section, the longer of the two, was once part of I-85 and later Temporary I-85; it includes several large non-freeway stretches. The northern section is a freeway, though not built to Interstate standards, and was I-85 until 2004, when that road was shifted to the Greensboro Bypass. Most of the northern section was still part of Interstate 40 until February 2008, when the southwestern section of the Greensboro Urban Loop opened and the old route became Interstate 40 Business (which has since been decommissioned, making the road I-40 once again). Except for the northernmost bit near Greensboro, the whole length is concurrent with U.S. Route 29 and U.S. Route 70. The southernmost 4 miles (6 km) are also part of U.S. Route 52, planned to become Interstate 285 in that area.

Business 85's junction with I-40 in Greensboro is commonly nicknamed "Death Valley" for its unusual design and high rate of traffic incidents. One of the main reasons I-85 was rerouted along the Greensboro Bypass (as was I-40 when the southern portion was completed) was to lighten traffic at the Death Valley interchange area.

The northern Greensboro segment of Business 85 was given the street name Preddy Boulevard after the Preddy Brothers (one of which is George Preddy) for their outstanding service in World War II.

In September 2008, the FHWA granted the NCDOT permission to return I-40 back to its former route through Greensboro after residents and motorists complained about the apparent confusion between green (Business I-40) and blue (I-40) signage, as well as increased traffic on the I-40 portion of the loop. As a result, Business I-40 has been truncated to its original endpoint in Kernersville, North Carolina, east of Winston-Salem. In its place, U.S. Route 421 has been rerouted onto the former alignment of I-40, which is also signed as Interstate 73. The restoration of I-40 on its original routing through the city re-creates the rare instance of a regular and Business Interstate sharing the same highway.

Exit list

See also

• I-40 Business
• Death Valley (North Carolina)