Interstate 285
I-285 highlighted in red; Future I-285 highlighted in blue
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-85
Maintained by NCDOT
Length	23.49 mi[1] (37.80 km)
Existed	2018[2]–present
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
South end	I-85 / US 29 / US 52 / US 70 in Lexington
Major intersections	I-85 BL / US 29 / US 70 in Lexington US 64 near Lexington
North end	I-40 / US 52 / NC 8 in Winston-Salem
Location
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Counties	Davidson, Forsyth
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future North Carolina Highway System Interstate US State Scenic
← NC 281 → NC 294

Interstate 285 (I-285) is a 23.49 mile long auxilary interstate highway connecting the cities of Lexington and Winston-Salem, in the U.S state of North Carolina. The route was approved in February 2018 and was first signed in November 2018. An auxiliary route of I-85, it branches off of its parent route and runs northeast, bypassing central Lexington, before turning due north and heading toward Winston-Salem, terminating at an interchange with I-40. I-285 is cosigned with US Highway 52 (US 52) for its entire route, and as of November 2018, still uses US 52 milemarkers and exit numbers. Other routes cosigned along parts of the route include I-85 Business (I-85 Bus), US 29, US 70, and North Carolina Highway 8 (NC 8). I-285 has been approved for an extension along the US 52 freeway through Winston-Salem to meet the future Winston-Salem Northern Beltway.

Route description

The southern terminus of I-285 is at the southwestern corner of the city of Lexington, at a partial interchange with I-85, with northbound-to-northbound and southbound-to-southbound the only possible movement; other directions require the use of surface streets in Lexington, using exit 84 (NC 47), the first exit on I-285. From the southern terminus, the route is also cosigned with US 52, US 29, US 70, and I-85 Bus. The route follows the western boundary of Lexington's corporate limits, acting as a bypass of the city. Exit 85 is for Green Needles Road, while exit 86 provides access to Salisbury Road and Main Street, an old alignment of US 29/US 70. Exit 87 is a partial interchange and marks the northern end of the concurrency with I-85 Bus/US 29/US 70, which branch off to the northeast here. Exit 89 (US 64/Center Street) provides access for drivers heading from southbound I-85 Bus and northbound I-285, and vice-versa, as those movements are not covered at the direct interchange at exit 87. North of US 64, the route passes the communities of Bethesda and Welcome. At exit 89, NC 8 joins the freeway and the road turns from northeast to due north. The next interchange is exit 97 (Old US 52) which provides access to both Welcome and the community of Midway. After exit 100 (Hickory Tree Road), I-285 enters the city of Winston-Salem. Exit 103 is for South Main Street, and exit 105 is for Clemmonsville Road. The I-285 designation ends at exit 107 (I-40), though the freeway continues on as US 52/NC 8.

History

Approved by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in September 2005, after receiving an earlier approval from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in July 2005, intending to provide an Interstate-quality freeway to connect Winston-Salem to Charlotte (via a portion of I-85). The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) installed "Future Interstate 285 Corridor" signs along the route in February 2006. The initial $2.5-million (equivalent to $3.23 million in 2022^[3]) project to improve the roadway to Interstate standards was approved in October 2011.^[4][5] With property acquisition already started in December 2012, cost estimates rose to $8.57 million (equivalent to $11.1 million in 2022^[3]). The contract was awarded to J.T. Russell and Sons Inc. of Albemarle for $7.6 million (equivalent to $9.8 million in 2022^[3]). Construction began in March 2014 and included reconstructing shoulders, improving drainage systems, resurfacing travel lanes, and realigning Marco Boulevard to accommodate a new southbound exit ramp alignment at Green Needles Road. In addition, crews resurfaced and preserved the bridges over Swearing Creek. The project was completed in late 2017.

On February 15, 2018, based on the completed improvements, the FHWA approved the I-285 signing between I-85 and I-40.^[2][6] In November 2018, NCDOT placed I-285 ground-mounted route shields along the route from I-85 to I-40.^[7]

Future

On May 20, 2019, AASHTO approved a request by NCDOT to establish Future I-285 north from its current northern terminus to a future I-74/I-274 interchange Winston-Salem Northern Beltway. The justification for the 11.3-mile (18.2 km) extension was that Winston-Salem was a major transfer point for motor freight services and that numerous freight operators were already utilizing US 52 to access other major highways in and around the city; and that it would also serve the 330-acre (130 ha) Innovation Quarter, which will house research, business, and several college education facilities. The transition from future designation is dependent upon completion of the I-74/I-274 interchange and upgrades to interstate standards along the route.^[8][9][10] Other plans include possible widening to six total lanes (three in each direction).^[11]

Exit list

Current exit numbers are based on US 52 mileage.

County	Location	mi[12]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Davidson	Lexington	0.0	0.0	—	I-85 south / I-85 BL ends / US 29 south / US 52 south / US 70 west – Salisbury, Charlotte	End of I-85 Bus., south end of US 29/US 52 and west end of US 70 overlap
		0.6	0.97	84	NC 47 east to I-85 north	To Davidson County Airport
		1.5	2.4	85	Green Needles Road
		2.8	4.5	86	Salisbury Road – Downtown Lexington
		3.7	6.0	87	I-85 BL north / US 29 north / US 70 east – Thomasville, High Point	North end of I-85 Bus./US 29 and east end of US 70 overlap, northbound exit and southbound entrance
		5.3	8.5	89	US 64 – Lexington, Mocksville
	Welcome	8.8	14.2	92	NC 8 south (Old US Hwy 52) – Welcome	South end of NC 8 overlap
		14.0	22.5	97	Old US Hwy 52 – Midway
	Midway	16.2	26.1	100	Hickory Tree Road
Forsyth	Winston-Salem	19.4	31.2	103	South Main Street
		21.7	34.9	105	Clemmonsville Road
		22.8	36.7	107	I-40 / US 52 north / NC 8 north – Statesville, Greensboro	North end of US 52/NC 8 overlap
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Interstate 285 (North Carolina).

• NCRoads.com: I-285
• NC Future Interstates: I-285 Winston-Salem Connector