Business Loop I-85

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Business Loop I-85 is an older freeway connecting Interstate 85 with Fairforest, Una and Southern Shops north of Spartanburg in the Upstate of South Carolina. Predating the Interstate system as a bypass for U.S. 29, the 8.77 mile long route was originally part of I-85.

Business Loop I-85 was designated in 1995 when the new alignment for Interstate 85 to the northwest of Spartanburg opened to traffic. First proposed in 1986, the bypass was estimated to cost $53 million with four lanes at a length of 9.6 miles. It was anticipated for completion in 1992.

Revisions to the bypass for I-85 followed, including expansion of the freeway to six lanes. As a result, the associated costs increased to $116 million and the time table shifted to December 1994.1 Work finally broke ground in 1988 with a completion deadline set for November 1994. Weather delays and an abundance of unanticipated rock in the road's alignment pushed construction well into 1995 and costs to $122 million.2,3 A planned opening date of August 27 was further delayed by several days due to heavy rains from Tropical Depression Jerry.4

Resigning of Interstate 85 as Business Loop I-85 included the following exit number changes:5

  • Exit 69 -> Exit 1 for S.C. 41
  • Exits 70A/B -> Exit 2A/B for I-26
  • Exit 71 -> Exit 2C for Fairforest Road
  • Exit 72A -> Exit 3 for New Cut Road
  • Exit 72B -> Exit 4A for Viaduct Road (southbound only)
  • Exit 72C -> Exit 4 northbound and 4B southbound for S.C. 56 (Asheville Highway)
  • Exit 73A -> Exit 5A for I-585/U.S. 176 / Pine Street
  • Exit 73B -> Exit 5B for U.S. 176 (southbound only)
  • Exit 74 -> Exit 5B for Milliken Road (northbound only)
  • Exit 75 -> Exit 6 for S.C. 9
  • Exit 76 -> Exit 7 for Bryant Road
Business Loop I-85 North
A slip ramp (Exit 1) separates from Business Loop I-85 onto Falling Creek Road east to N Blackstock Road (Road 41) just beyond the split with I-85. 06/09/17
Business Loop I-85 was designated as Veterans Parkway in August 2000. 12/15/16
The first reassurance marker for Business Loop I-85 previously preceded Exit 1 to N Blackstock Road. Frontage roads accompany most of the 1950s-built freeway. 08/29/04
N Blackstock Road (Road 41) angles southeast from Business 85 and Falling Creek Road to Fairforest, where the road turns southward paralleling I-26 to Hadden Crossroads and West View. 12/15/16
Interstate 26 in South Carolina is the James F. Byrnes Memorial Freeway. A former Governor of South Carolina, James Byrnes also served as the Director of War Mobilization as appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II. 12/15/16
Exit 2A departs ahead for Interstate 26 eastbound to the capital city of Columbia. The succeeding exits on I-26 east serve the city of Spartanburg: Exit 21 joins the freeway with U.S. 29 (W.O. Ezell Boulevard) and Exit 22 with S.C. 296 (John B. White, Sr. Boulevard). Both routes lead east to Downtown. 12/15/16
Exit 2A departs for I-26 southeast to Columbia, Orangeburg and Charleston. One of the older freeways in the state, Interstate 26 stretches 221 miles southeast from the North Carolina state line to the South Carolina Lowcountry. 12/15/16
Exit 2B loops onto I-26 westbound for Asheville, North Carolina. I-26 enters the exchange (Exit 18) with Interstate 85 to the immediate north and reaches the city of Hendersonville in 39 miles. 12/15/16
Exit 2C quickly departs Business Loop I-85 north after the entrance ramp from I-26 west. Fairforest Road (Road 525/366) runs 3.2 miles north from Fairforest to I-585/U.S. 176 near Lone Oak. 06/09/17
S.C. 295 follows Spring Street northeast 1.21 miles from Arcadia to Simuel Road ahead of Exit 3. A 16.67 mile long route, S.C. 295 loops around Spartanburg south to Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport (SPA) and east to Delmar, White Stone and U.S. 176/S.C. 9 near Pacolet. 12/15/16
Exit 3 connects with adjacent Simuel Road ahead of a folded diamond interchange connecting the north end of S.C. 295 with New Cut Road. 06/09/17
New Cut Road (Road 65) angles southeast from S.C. 295 (Simuel Road) and Business 85 to Una and northwest to Sigsbee and Cunningham. 12/15/16
Passing under New Cut Road, the next exit along Business Loop I-85 north joins the freeway with S.C. 56 (Asheville Highway) at Hearon Circle. 06/09/17
S.C. 56 (Asheville Highway) follows a former alignment of U.S. 176 southeast 2.3 miles from Hearon Circle to U.S. 221 (Church Street) in Spartanburg and northwest 1.6 miles to Lone Oak and U.S. 176 (Asheville Highway). 06/09/17
Construction from 2019 to June 30, 2023 replaces the viaduct along Business 85 over Buffington Road (Road 995), the Norfolk Southern Railroad and Howard Street (Road 2). There is no direct access onto I-585/U.S. 176 westbound from Exit 5. Lone Oak Road (Road 79) instead links with E Campus Road and U.S. 176 at USC Upstate. 06/09/17
The viaduct spanning Hearon Circle at the split diamond interchange (Exit 4) joining Business 85 with S.C. 56 (Asheville Highway) was built in 1958. 12/15/16
Exit 5A joins I-585/U.S. 176 southeast onto Pine Street through Spartanburg. Interstate 585 extends 2.25 miles from the cloverleaf interchange with Business 85 to N Pine Street just beyond U.S. 221 (Whitney Road). 06/09/17
Exit 5A partitions with ramps for I-585/U.S. 176 and parallel Graham Road 1.15 miles southeast to California Avenue (Road 124). 12/15/16
The freeway along U.S. 176 ended at Business 85 originally, but was extended northwest to an interchange built at Valley Falls Road (Road 79) during a $63 million project undertaken between 2003 and October 25, 2006.1 12/15/16
Exit 5B constitutes a slip ramp onto adjacent Milliken Road (Road 998) east ahead of N Campus Boulevard north to USC Upstate. 12/15/16
Business Loop I-85 runs along the north side of Milliken Arboretum to Sojourners Way. 12/15/16
S.C. 9 (Boiling Springs Road) branches north from I-585/U.S. 176 and U.S. 176 Connector (N Church Street) 1.40 miles to a cloverleaf interchange with the frontage road system along Business Loop I-85. 06/09/17
The split diamond interchange (Exit 6) for S.C. 9 (Boiling Springs Road) connects Business Loop I-85 with Milliken and Landers Road to the south and Hospitality Drive to the north. S.C. 9 travels 260 miles from The Grand Strand to become NC 9 north of Boiling Springs and New Prospect. 12/15/16
Removed by 2011, this reassurance marker for Business Loop I-85 was posted at milepost 6. Construction from 2019 to June 30, 2023 replaces the nearby bridges over Lawsons Fork Creek. 08/29/04
A diamond interchange links Business Loop I-85 with Bryant Road (Road 191) at Exit 7. Road 191 connects with U.S. 221 (Chesnee Highway) near Whitney, 0.87 miles to the southeast. 12/15/16
Bryant Road (Road 191) continues 3.51 miles north from Exit 7 through agricultural areas to Old Furnace Road (Road 56), east of Carlisle. 12/15/16
Business Loop I-85 converges with Interstate 85 at a trumpet interchange. A left exit returns traffic onto I-85 south for Inman, Asheville and Greenville. 12/15/16
Business Loop I-85 northbound concludes ahead of Exit 78 with U.S. 221 (Chesnee Highway), 14 miles from the city of Gaffney. 12/15/16
Business Loop I-85 South
A three quarter cloverleaf interchange joins Business Loop I-85 south with I-585/U.S. 176 at Exit 5. Exit 5B connects with I-585/U.S. 176 north to USC Upstate, Lone Oak and Inman. 06/01/07
Interstate 585 leads 2.12 miles southeast from Exit 5A onto N Pine Street in Spartanburg. U.S. 221 (Whitney Road) and S.C. 9 (Boiling Springs Road) tie into the freeway spur ahead of Downtown. 06/01/07
Exit 4B follows quickly as a slip ramp onto adjacent Charisma Drive (Road 996) for S.C. 56 (Asheville Highway) at Hearon Circle. Hearon Circle connects with Lone Oak Road (Road 79) north to USC Upstate and east side frontage roads to adjacent travel services. S.C. 56 extends Asheville Highway southeast from U.S. 176 to Lone Oak and Church Street (U.S. 221) in Spartanburg. 09/24/04
A loop ramp at Exit 4A joins Business 85 south with Buffington Road (Road 995) by Broadcast Drive (Road 732). Buffington Road lines the north side of the freeway west to New Cut Road (Road 65) while Broadcast Drive loops 1.00 miles west through an industrial park to Road 65. 09/24/04
Exit 3 overtakes Buffington Road to New Cut Road (Road 79) and the southbound beginning of S.C. 295. New Cut Road travels northwest to Sigsbee and Cunningham and southeast to Una and California Avenue. S.C. 295 follows Simuel Road west to Spring Street south to Johnson City and Arcadia. S.C. 295 encircles Spartanburg along a 16.7 mile course to U.S. 176/S.C. 9 near Pacolet. 09/24/04
The upcoming cloverleaf interchange with Interstate 26 lies 1.25 miles beyond the New Cut Road (Road 79) overpass and after Exit 2C to Fairforest Road. 09/24/04
A modified diamond interchange with the adjacent service roads links Fairforest Road (Road 525) and Business Loop I-85 at Exit 2C. Road 525 runs 1.27 miles southwest to N Blackstock Road (Road 41) at Fairforest and 0.7 miles north to S.C. 56 (Asheville Highway) near Lone Oak. 09/24/04
Exit 2B separates from Business 85 beyond Fairforest Road (Road 525) for Interstate 26 westbound to Asheville, North Carolina. I-26 crosses into the Tar Heel State in 19 miles en route to Hendersonville in 39 miles. 09/24/04
Exit 2B leaves Business Loop I-85 south for I-26 west. Interstate 26 meets I-40/240 at Asheville in 58 miles and travels 136 miles overall north to Johnson City, Tennessee. 09/24/04
Interstate 26 east travels southward 79 miles from Exit 2A to meet I-20 and I-126 at Columbia and 202 miles to Downtown Charleston. 09/24/04
A slip ramp at Exit 1 connects with adjacent College Drive (Road 796), 0.51 miles ahead of N Blackstock Road. N Blackstock Road (Road 41) leads southeast 1.07 miles to Fairforest and north 3.0 miles to John Dodd Road (Road 60) near I-26 at Exit 16. 09/24/04
N Blackstock Road (Road 41) passes over Business Loop I-85 ahead of the wye interchange with Interstate 85 south and Exit 68 to S.C. 129 (Fort Prince Boulevard). 09/24/04
Exit 68 joins the adjacent ramp from I-85 to the parclo interchange with S.C. 129 (Fort Prince Road). A 4.97 mile long route, S.C. 129 runs west from nearby Falling Creek Road to S.C. 292 and S.C. 358 in the town of Lyman. 09/24/04
Business Loop I-85 scenes
Directing traffic onto Business Loop I-85 south near I-585/U.S. 176, an Interstate 85 trailblazer stands along N Campus Boulevard at University Way. 06/01/07
A compact cloverleaf interchange connects S.C. 9 (Boiling Springs Road) with the frontage road system along Business Loop I-85. This trailblazer was posted at the loop ramp from S.C. 9 south onto Landers Road (Road 998) east for Business 85 north. 12/08/99

Sources:
  1. "New Interstate 85 bypass causes fear, excitement." Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, SC), October 18, 1993.
  2. "Interstate project set for completion within five weeks New Section of I-85 : Countdown to opening day drivers on I-85 ready for relief officials say highway to open within five weeks." Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, SC), July 21, 1995.
  3. "New I-85 to open Aug. 27 $122 million highway bypasses congestion." Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, SC), August 19, 1995.
  4. "Heavy rains delay opening of I-85, again rain delays I-85 Opening....again." Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, SC), August 29, 1995.
  5. "New I-85 brings changes in exits." Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, SC), September 24, 1995.


Photo Credits:

12/08/99, 06/01/07 by AARoads

Connect with:
Interstate 26
Interstate 85
Interstate 585 / U.S. 176
U.S. 176
Highway 9

Page Updated 09-20-2021.

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