Editing Interstate 85 (section)

==Route description==
{{lengths table|length_ref=<ref name=fhwa />}}
|-
|[[Interstate 85 in Alabama|AL]]
|{{convert|80.00|mi|km|disp=table}}
|-
|[[Interstate 85 in Georgia|GA]]
|{{convert|179.90|mi|km|disp=table}}
|-
|[[Interstate 85 in South Carolina|SC]]
|{{convert|106.28|mi|km|disp=table}}
|-
|[[Interstate 85 in North Carolina|NC]]
|{{convert|231.23|mi|km|disp=table}}
|-
|[[Interstate 85 in Virginia|VA]]
|{{convert|68.64|mi|km|disp=table}}
|-
|Total
|{{convert|666.05|mi|km|disp=table}}
|}
I-85 is a route that serves several major locations in the Southeastern United States, stretching from Alabama to Virginia serving major metropolitan areas such as [[Atlanta]] and [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]].

===Alabama===
{{Main|Interstate 85 in Alabama}}
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[[File:I-85 North Exit 70 - CR 388 (32908261035).jpg|thumb|left|I-85 southwest of [[Cusseta, Alabama|Cusseta]]]]
I-85 begins as a [[T intersection]] off [[Interstate 65|I-65]] in [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]]. From there, I-85 parallels [[U.S. Route 80|US&nbsp;80]] until the highway nears [[Tuskegee, Alabama|Tuskegee]]. At Tuskegee, I-85 leaves US&nbsp;80 and starts to parallel [[U.S. Route 29|US&nbsp;29]], which the highway parallels for much of its length.

I-85 also passes near [[Auburn, Alabama|Auburn]], [[Opelika, Alabama|Opelika]], [[Valley, Alabama|Valley]], and [[Lanett, Alabama|Lanett]] before crossing the [[Chattahoochee River]] into [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]].

I-85 is planned to be rerouted southward just east of Montgomery, where it will intersect with I-65 just south of downtown Montgomery and then have a future southern terminus at the concurrency of [[Interstate 20|I-20]]/[[Interstate 59|I-59]] just northeast of [[Cuba, Alabama|Cuba]]. Future [[Interstate 685 (Alabama)|I-685]] will be the new designation for the route of current I-85, which leads directly to I-65 in downtown Montgomery.

=== Georgia ===
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{{Main|Interstate 85 in Georgia}}
[[File:Atlanta 75.85.jpg|thumb|right|I-75 cosigned with I-85 in Downtown Atlanta]]
In Georgia, I-85 (unsigned State Route&nbsp;403 [SR&nbsp;403]) bypasses [[West Point, Georgia|West Point]] before coming into the [[LaGrange, Georgia|LaGrange]] area. East of LaGrange, I-85 intersects [[Interstate 185 (Georgia)|I-185]] which connects to [[Columbus, Georgia|Columbus]] and [[Fort Moore]]. In the Atlanta area, I-85 intersects [[Interstate 20|I-20]] and merges with [[Interstate 75|I-75]] ([[Downtown Connector]]) through the downtown area. North of Atlanta, [[Interstate 985|I-985]] provides a link to [[Gainesville, Georgia|Gainesville]] before I-85 continues through northeastern Georgia and then crosses into [[South Carolina]].

===South Carolina===
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{{Main|Interstate 85 in South Carolina}}
[[File:Junction of I-185 and I-85, Greenville, South Carolina (6120538540).jpg|thumb|I-85 southbound at interchange with I-185/US&nbsp;29 in Greenville]]
I-85 provides the major transportation route for [[the Upstate]] of [[South Carolina]], linking together the major centers of [[Greenville, South Carolina|Greenville]] and [[Spartanburg]] with regional centers of importance. In Spartanburg, [[BMW]] has a major manufacturing plant that can be seen from the highway. In South Carolina, I-85 bypasses [[Clemson, South Carolina|Clemson]] and [[Anderson, South Carolina|Anderson]] on the way to Greenville. Beginning at Anderson, I-85 widens from four to six lanes. Near [[Powdersville, South Carolina|Powdersville]], US&nbsp;29 joins I-85 and they [[concurrency (road)|run concurrently]] until they cross the [[Saluda River]]. I-85 bypasses just south of Greenville but provides two links into the city via spur routes [[Interstate 185 (South Carolina)|I-185]] and [[Interstate 385|I-385]].

I-85 also has direct exits to [[Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport]], which serves the Greenville–Spartanburg metropolitan area. I-85 then bypasses the city of Spartanburg to the north. Its original route is now signed as [[Interstate 85 Business (Spartanburg, South Carolina)|I-85 Business]] (I-85 Bus) and was approved by the [[American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials]] (AASHTO) on April 22, 1995.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-085.html |title = Interstate 85 |work = Interstate-Guide.com |access-date = May 27, 2007 |archive-date = May 14, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120514101249/http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-085.html |url-status = dead }}{{self-published source|date=March 2017}}</ref>{{self-published inline|certain=y|date=March 2017}} Near milemarker&nbsp;70, I-85 intersects with I-26. The exits are signed as exits&nbsp;70A for eastbound traffic and 70B for westbound traffic. North of Spartanburg, I-85 narrows from six lanes back to four lanes and bypasses [[Gaffney, South Carolina|Gaffney]]. Much of the terrain between Spartanburg and the North Carolina border is rural in nature but congested to the state line due to its location near Charlotte.

===North Carolina===
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{{Main|Interstate 85 in North Carolina}}
[[File:I40i85NC.jpg|thumb|right|I-40/I-85 through Burlington]]
In North Carolina, I-85 enters a relatively rural area near Kings Mountain before entering the Gastonia and Charlotte areas. In Charlotte, I-85 bypasses [[Charlotte Douglas International Airport]] and turns northeastward just before reaching [[Uptown Charlotte]]; thus, I-85 just bypasses uptown to the north where it junctions with [[Interstate 77|I-77]]. North of Charlotte, the highway passes near [[Concord, North Carolina|Concord]], [[Salisbury, North Carolina|Salisbury]], [[Lexington, North Carolina|Lexington]], and [[High Point, North Carolina|High Point]] before reaching [[Greensboro, North Carolina|Greensboro]].

At Greensboro, I-85 shifts away from downtown I-85 Bus (old I-85 through town). I-85 then joins I-40 east of downtown, and the two highways are cosigned as they pass through [[Burlington, North Carolina|Burlington]], [[Graham, North Carolina|Graham]], and [[Mebane, North Carolina|Mebane]] then separate near [[Hillsborough, North Carolina|Hillsborough]] where [[Interstate 40|I-40]] turns toward [[Chapel Hill, North Carolina|Chapel Hill]], [[Cary, North Carolina|Cary]], and [[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh]]. After the split with I-40, I-85 continues to [[Durham, North Carolina|Durham]], before turning northeastward through [[Oxford, North Carolina|Oxford]] then [[Henderson, North Carolina|Henderson]] toward [[Virginia]].

===Virginia===
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{{Main|Interstate 85 in Virginia}}
[[File:I-95 exit 51.jpg|thumb|left|I-85's terminus at I-95 near Petersburg]]
Starting from the Virginia border, the route passes [[South Hill, Virginia|South Hill]] and [[McKenney, Virginia|McKenney]] before heading into a large forest. After the forest, I-85 reaches Petersburg and ends at [[Interstate 95 in Virginia|I-95]]. The highway is briefly cosigned with [[U.S. Route 460|US&nbsp;460]] from a few miles west of Petersburg in [[Dinwiddie County, Virginia|Dinwiddie County]] to I-95. I-85 follows the same general path as [[U.S. Route 1|US&nbsp;1]] (Boydton Plank Road and [[Jefferson Davis Highway]]), as the two cross several times between the North Carolina border and the northern terminus outside Petersburg.
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