Interstate 485 encircles the Charlotte metropolitan area on a 67 mile loop within Mecklenburg County, connecting with suburban areas including Matthews and Pineville.
Traveling in a counter-clockwise loop around Charlotte, Interstate 485 begins at a systems exchange with I-77 northwest of Pineville near the state border with South Carolina. The Charlotte beltway proceeds northerly to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and I-85 near the Westmoreland neighborhood. Beyond I-85, I-485 continues northeasterly by Mount Holly on an arc back to I-77 south of Hunterville.
Six miles separate the northern connections of I-77 and I-85 along the Charlotte beltway. I-485 turns southeast from the turbine interchange with I-85 near Charlotte Motor Speedway to parallel the Mecklenburg county line to a point north of Mint Hill. Leaving Mint Hill, the beltway bends southwest to U.S. 74 and Matthews. Interstate 485 curves west from Providence to Pineville and northwest to Interstate 77.
Interstate 485 North Carolina Guides
Inner Loop
The Interstate 485 beltway was built in segments between 1988 and 2015. The final segment, 5.7 miles east from NC 115 near Huntersville to Interstate 85, opened to traffic on June 5, 2015.
Each quadrant of the I-485 beltway is named after various politicians including former governor James G. Martin and Seddon "Rusty" Goode, who was instrumental in the planning of the Charlotte beltway.
Five years of construction started in March 2019 add Express toll lanes to a 20 mile stretch of Interstate 485 between I-77 and U.S. 74 on the south side of Charlotte. The $289.5 $346 million project also adds new interchange at Weddington Road.1
Previously used cardinal directions for I-485 changed from south to east after Exit 64.
 scenes |
 | NC 49 (University City Boulevard) northbound at what was a half diamond interchange (Exit 33) with a stub end. The Charlotte Beltway was completed by November 2003 between NC 49 and U.S. 74 (Exit 51) to form a complete southeast bypass of the city. 12/08/99 |
- "Major changes coming to southern stretch of I-485." WSOC (Charlotte, NC), March 14, 2019.
Photo Credits:
12/08/99 by AARoads
Connect with:
Interstate 77
Interstate 85
U.S. 29
U.S. 74
U.S. 521
Highway 16
Route 49
Page Updated 02-02-2023.