Primary route
I-85
Montgomery to Petersburg
Length667.8 mi
Designated1957
States5
Junctions10
About I-85
Also known as Sam Nunn Atlanta-Athens Highway.
From Montgomery, AL (I-65) to Petersburg, VA (I-95)
Interstate 85 is a route oriented southwest to northeast running about 666 miles from Montgomery, Alabama, to Petersburg, Virginia. It begins at Interstate 65 in Montgomery and runs northeast through Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and into Virginia. Along the way it forms a long diagonal across the southern Piedmont, the rolling upland between the coastal plain and the Appalachian Mountains.
The corridor strings together many of the major cities of the Southeast Piedmont, including Atlanta in Georgia, the Upstate region of South Carolina, and Charlotte, the Piedmont Triad, and the Research Triangle area in North Carolina. In Alabama it links Montgomery with Auburn and Opelika, and in Virginia it serves South Hill and Petersburg before joining Interstate 95.
Interstate 85 is one of the busiest corridors in the Southeast, carrying dense commuter traffic around its larger metropolitan areas and heavy freight along the manufacturing and distribution belt of the Piedmont. Its many auxiliary routes in North Carolina and around Atlanta distribute traffic through the urban cores it passes.
State-by-state mileage
| State | Miles |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 80.0 |
| Georgia | 179.9 |
| South Carolina | 106.3 |
| North Carolina | 233.0 |
| Virginia | 68.6 |
| Total | 667.8 |
History
Interstate 85 was designated in 1957 and constructed in segments through the 1960s, following the developed Piedmont corridor between Alabama and Virginia. Older U.S. highways through the region were paralleled and in places replaced by the new freeway.
As the Piedmont cities grew, the route was widened and supplemented with auxiliary Interstates, becoming a central spine of growth and commerce across the southeastern uplands.
Major cities and places
MontgomeryAuburnOpelikaAtlantaGreenvilleCharlotteGreensboroDurhamSouth HillPetersburg
Did you know
- The southern terminus is at I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama, and the northern terminus is at I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia.
- It crosses five states along the southern Piedmont.
- It serves Atlanta, Charlotte, and the Research Triangle and Piedmont Triad of North Carolina.
- North Carolina alone carries several of its auxiliary routes.