Interstate 85 Business (Spartanburg, South Carolina)
Interstate 85 Business (I-85 Bus or BL 85) is a business loop of the Interstate Highway System and a freeway running along the old route of I-85 in the vicinity of Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. It is the only freeway to connect with Interstate 585, which is now an isolated piece of the Interstate Highway System (as Interstate Business Loops & Spurs themselves are considered isolated from the IHS[2]).
| |
|---|---|
| Veterans Parkway | |
I-85 Business Loop highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained by SCDOT | |
| Length | 8.770 mi[1] (14.114 km) |
| Existed | 1995–present |
| Major junctions | |
| South end |  I-85 near Wellford |
| |
| North end | I-85 near Spartanburg |
| Location | |
| Counties | Spartanburg |
| Highway system | |
Route description
Interstate 85 Business leaves I-85 at a northbound-only off-ramp, with a southbound fly-under ramp. The first on and off ramps are with local streets used as frontage roads leading to Road 41 (North Blackstock Road). Road 41 connects with the Fairforest community, to the south, and several industrial and distribution businesses to its immediate north and west. The road then has another interchange with I-26 just before the one with Fairforest Road. The road briefly curves to the left as it runs parallel to South Carolina Highway 295 (SC 295) near the exit for New Cut Road, where SC 295 ends, then crosses over a former Southern Railways railroad line between southbound exit 4A and exit 4B, which is a roundabout interchange with SC 56. Immediately after the ramps from that interchange converge with the main road, BL 85 approaches Exit 5A another interchange with I-585/U.S. Route 176 (US 176), but only includes a southeast bound ramp for northbound traffic. The next exit (5B) is a short off-ramp to the Milliken & Company headquarters for northbound drivers. Southbound drivers can still take Exit 5B to US 176 and future I-585. Still relying on local bi-directional frontage roads, the road uses ramps to and from exit 6 to SC 9, which itself has quarter-cloverleaf interchanges to I-85 Business's frontage roads. The penultimate interchange however (exit 7) is a normal diamond interchange, albeit with one of the frontage roads terminating at the southbound on-ramp. I-85 Bus. ends at a trumpet interchange with I-85, which has access to and from both northbound and southbound I-85, unlike the southwestern end, which only has access from northbound I-85 and to southbound I-85.[3]
History
This is one of two separate freeway segments to carry the Business I-85 designation. The other segment exists in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, and it was also a former alignment of I-85. The old exit numbers are gone.[4]
The business loop was established in 1995 when I-85 was placed on new freeway bypassing north of Spartanburg. The old alignment, which was originally built as a super two for US 29, was upgraded to a four-lane freeway when I-85 was established in 1959. In 1962, US 29 was realigned back through downtown Spartanburg. Since 1959, few improvements have been made along the route, which is why it is labeled a substandard freeway.[4][5]
Spartanburg civic leaders in 2000 proposed that it become Interstate 685, but was turned down by SCDOT because of cost of upgrades. As a compromise, the signage was amended calling it a "Freeway Loop" at both end points along I-85.
Exit list
The entire route is in Spartanburg County.
| Location | mi[1] | km | Old exit[3][4] | New exit | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 0.000 | 0.000 | — | — | I-85 south – Greenville | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; southern terminus | |
| Fairforest | 1.018– 1.020 | 1.638– 1.642 | 69 | 1 | Road 41 (North Blackstock Road) | ||
| Fairforest–Arcadia– Southern Shops tripoint | 1.920 | 3.090 | 70 | 2 |  I-26 – Columbia, Asheville | Signed as exits 2A (east) and 2B (west) | |
| Arcadia–Southern Shops line | 2.350 | 3.782 | 71 | 2C | Road 525 (Fairforest Road) | ||
| Arcadia–Saxon– Southern Shops tripoint | 3.090– 3.260 | 4.973– 5.246 | 72A | 3 |  SC 295 south / New Cut Road – Spartanburg Community College | Northern terminus of SC 295 | |
| Saxon–Southern Shops line | 3.812 | 6.135 | 72B | 4A | Broadcast Drive | Southbound exit only | |
| Southern Shops | 4.120– 4.203 | 6.630– 6.764 | 72C | 4B |   SC 56 (Asheville Highway) to US 176 west | Signed as exit 4 northbound; roundabout interchange | |
| 4.540– 4.710 | 7.306– 7.580 | 73A | 5A |   I-585 south / US 176 east (Pine Street, Downtown) | |||
| Valley Falls | 4.853 | 7.810 | 73B | 5B | I-585 north / US 176 west – Inman, USC Upstate | No access from northbound I-85 Business to northbound I-585 | |
| 4.930 | 7.934 | 74 | 5B | Milliken Road | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| 5.700– 5.870 | 9.173– 9.447 | 75 | 6 |  SC 9 (Boiling Springs Road) | |||
| | 7.000– 7.170 | 11.265– 11.539 | 76 | 7 | Road 191 (Bryant Road) | ||
| | 8.770 | 14.114 | — | — | I-85 – Greenville, Charlotte | Northern terminus; trumpet interchange | |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||||
See also
U.S. roads portal
References
- "Highway Logmile Report". South Carolina Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
- National Highway System: Spartanburg SC (PDF) (Map). Cartography by FHWA. Federal Highway Administration. December 2003. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
- Google (February 8, 2013). "Interstate 85 Business Loop" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
- General Highway Map, Spartanburg County, South Carolina (PDF) (Map). Cartography by SCDOT. South Carolina Department of Transportation. 1972. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2007. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
- General Highway Map, Spartanburg County, South Carolina (PDF) (Map). Cartography by SCDOT. South Carolina Department of Transportation. 1957. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
External links
Media related to Interstate 85 Business at Wikimedia Commons- I-85 Bus at Virginia Highways' South Carolina Highways Annex