Interstate 85

Interstate 85
Route information
Length	666.05 mi[1] (1,071.90 km)
Existed	August 4, 1958 (1958-08-04)–present
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
South end	I-65 / US 82 in Montgomery, AL
Major intersections	I-75 through Atlanta, GA I-20 in Atlanta, GA I-26 near Spartanburg, SC I-77 / US 21 in Charlotte, NC I-74 near Archdale, NC I-73 in Greensboro, NC I-40 from Greensboro, NC to Hillsborough, NC
North end	I-95 / US 460 in Petersburg, VA
Location
Country	United States
States	Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future

Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, near Richmond. It is nominally north–south as it carries an odd number, but it is physically oriented northeast–southwest and covers a larger east–west span than north–south. While most Interstates that end in a "5" are cross-country, I-85 is primarily a regional route serving five southeastern states: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.

Major metropolitan areas served by I-85 include the Greater Richmond Region in Virginia, the Research Triangle, Piedmont Triad, and Charlotte metropolitan area regions of North Carolina, Upstate South Carolina, the Atlanta metropolitan area in Georgia, and the Montgomery metropolitan area in Alabama. There are plans to extend I-85 along the US Route 80 (US 80) corridor into Mississippi. Because of its unusually diagonal nature, portions of I-85 are to the west of I-75, which puts I-85 out of the Interstate grid.