Interstate 785 North Carolina/Virginia
Proposed Routing
A planned spur of Interstate 40 and Interstate 85 from Greensboro, North Carolina, northward along the Greensboro Loop (Interstate 840 and U.S. 29 freeway/High Priority Corridor 17 north to Danville, Virginia. Interstate 785 appears in North Carolina's Strategic Highway Corridors map as of November 12, 2004.
The freeway was jointly agreed upon by North Carolina and Virginia officials April of 1997 after the advocation from the Interstate Connection: Alliance for Economic Growth in the fall of 1996. The organization was composed of business and government leaders who touted the route for potential economic improvements to the area including diversifying the economy, creating new jobs, generating additional tax revenue and enhancing regional cooperation.1
The route designation only exists at the moment in the form of future Interstate 785 corridor guide signs. This is due to the fact that the freeway of U.S. 29 is not at Interstate standards. U.S. 29 requires modern shoulders, acceleration and deceleration ramps, and other improvements to qualify for Interstate standards.
The southernmost segment of Interstate 785 will overlap with Interstate 840 along the eastern flank of the planned Greensboro Beltway. When both routes are complete and signed, the overlap will represent only the second occurrence of two three-digit Interstates combined on a single stretch of freeway within the Interstate system. The first instance is where Interstate 271 and Interstate 480 overlap near Cleveland.
High Priority Corridor
Interstate 785 in its entirety is part of High Priority Corridor 17 and 40: Route 29 Corridor.
History
The establishment of Interstate 785 from Interstate 85 in Greensboro, North Carolina, north to the U.S. 29 and U.S. 58 interchange in Danville, Virginia, via the U.S. 29 freeway was approved by AASHTO on November 14, 1997, contingent upon Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approval. As of 2006, the route is signed solely as a future corridor.
Status
Improvements to U.S. 29 between Greensboro and the North Carolina-Virginia state line are already underway. The current construction project in Danville will bring that section of U.S. 29/Future Interstate 785 up to Interstate standards.
Highway Guides
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| Interstate 785 will share pavement with Interstate 840 to the junction with Interstates 40, 85, and Business Loop 85. |
| Interstate 785 will end in Danville either at the interchange with U.S. 58 or perhaps further north on the Danville Expressway. |
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Sources
- North Carolina Department of Transportation Strategic Highway Planning Documents
- "U.S. 52 gets a second name." The Winston-Salem Journal, September 10, 2005.
Page Updated March 25, 2006.
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