Interstate 85 marker

Interstate 85

Route information
Maintained by VDOT
Length68.64 mi[1] (110.47 km)
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
South end I-85 at the North Carolina state line near Bracey
Major intersections
North end I-95 / US 460 in Petersburg
Location
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
CountiesMecklenburg, Brunswick, Dinwiddie, City of Petersburg
Highway system
← SR 84→ SR 86

Interstate 85 (I-85) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Montgomery, Alabama, to Petersburg, Virginia. In Virginia, the Interstate Highway runs 68.64 miles (110.47 km) from the North Carolina state line near Bracey north to I-95 in Petersburg. I-85 passes through the eastern part of Southside, where it parallels US Route 1 (US 1) from Petersburg, where the highway runs concurrently with US 460, to south of South Hill, where the highway intersects Southside's major east–west highway, US 58. The Interstate Highway is the primary connection between the Greater Richmond Region and Research Triangle and other major metropolitan areas of North Carolina. Like all mainline Interstate Highways, I-85 is a part of the National Highway System for its entire length in Virginia.[2]

Route description

I-85 enters Virginia in Mecklenburg County southwest of Bracey. The Interstate Highway continues southwest toward Henderson and Durham. Northbound I-85 has a welcome center before the highway crosses Lake Gaston, an impoundment of the Roanoke River, on a causeway and bridge before reaching an interchange with State Route 903 (SR 903) at Bracey. The freeway passes through the town of South Hill, where the highway has a cloverleaf interchange with US 58 (Atlantic Avenue). US 58 serves as the major east–west highway of Southside; the US Route provides access to La Crosse, Brodnax, Lawrenceville, and Emporia to the east and Boydton and Clarksville to the west. US 58 leads to SR 47, which provides access to Chase City. North of the town of South Hill, I-85 has a junction with US 1 (Mecklenburg Avenue), which parallels the Interstate Highway from Henderson to Petersburg. The US 1 interchange also provides access to SR 138, which heads north toward Kenbridge.[3][4]

View north along I-85 north of the SR 644 exit in Brunswick County

North of US 1, I-85 enters Brunswick County just before the highway crosses the Meherrin River. The Interstate Highway has an interchange with SR 644 (Brunswick Drive) at Meredithville and a partial interchange with SR 46 (Christanna Highway) before the freeway crosses to the east side of US 1 (Boydton Plank Road) at an interchange southwest of the town of Alberta. The SR 46 and US 1 interchanges provide access to St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville and the Christanna campus of Southside Virginia Community College at the US 1/SR 46 intersection. Northeast of Alberta, I-85 has rest areas in both directions and interchanges with SR 630 (Sturgeon Road) at Sturgeonville and SR 712 (Old Stage Road) near Rawlings.[5][4]

I-85 crosses the Nottoway River into Dinwiddie County southwest of its interchanges with SR 40 (McKenney Highway) near the town of McKenney and SR 650 (Hamilton Arms Road) at DeWitt. The Interstate Highway serves Dinwiddie via its partial cloverleaf interchange with SR 703 (Carson Road) just east of the county seat of Dinwiddie County and another pair of rest areas. The Dinwiddie interchange and the following interchange with US 460 (Cox Road) provide access to Virginia Motorsports Park. At the partial cloverleaf interchange with US 460, which also leads to Dinwiddie County Airport, the Interstate Highway and US Route start to run concurrently toward Petersburg. Both the US 460 interchange and the following partial cloverleaf junction with US 1 (Boydton Plank Road) provide access to the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier at Pamplin Historical Park. East of US 1, the freeway curves to the east and changes from having a wide, forested median to a Jersey barrier separating the twin carriageways.[6][4]

I-85 enters the city of Petersburg prior to its junction with Squirrel Level Road. South of downtown Petersburg, I-85 reaches its northern terminus at a trumpet interchange with I-95. The southern end of the interchange has a ramp from northbound I-85 to southbound I-95. Here, US 460 joins I-95 south through an interchange with US 301 (Crater Road), south of which the US Route separates from I-95 on its way to Norfolk. I-85 curves north and merges with I-95 in the direction of Richmond adjacent to the loop ramp from northbound I-95 to southbound I-85. Just before merging with northbound I-95, I-85 has its final exit, a ramp that leads to the one-way pair of eastbound Wythe Street and westbound Washington Street in Historic Old Towne Petersburg. Wythe Street leads to Petersburg National Battlefield; Fort Gregg-Adams, which contains the US Army Quartermaster Museum and US Army Women's Museum; and the city of Hopewell via SR 36.[6][4]

History

Exit list

CountyLocationmi[3][5][6]kmExitDestinationsNotes
Mecklenburg​0.000.00
 I-85 south – Durham. Atlanta		North Carolina state line
Bracey4.236.814 SR 903 – Bracey, Lake Gaston
South Hill12.6220.3112
 US 58 to SR 47 – South Hill, Chase City, Emporia, Norfolk		signed as exits 12A (east) and 12B (west)
15.3424.6915 US 1 – South Hill, Kenbridge
BrunswickMeredithville24.0838.7524 SR 644 – Meredithville
​27.0943.6027 SR 46 – Blackstone, LawrencevilleNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
​28.2845.5128
 US 1 to SR 46 – Alberta, Lawrenceville
Sturgeonville34.6755.8034 SR 630 – Warfield
​39.3863.3839 SR 712 – Rawlingsformer SR 140
Dinwiddie​42.5268.4342 SR 40 – McKenney
DeWitt48.4778.0048 SR 650 – DeWitt
Dinwiddie53.3585.8653 SR 703 – Dinwiddieformer SR 141
​61.8799.5761
 US 460 west (US 460 Bus. east) – Blackstone, Lynchburg		south end of US 460 overlap
​63.64102.4263 US 1signed as exits 63A (south) and 63B (north); former southern terminus of the Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike
City of Petersburg65.83105.9465Squirrel Level Road
68.40110.0868

 I-95 south / US 460 east – Rocky Mount, NC, Norfolk		north end of US 460 overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance
69Wythe Street / Washington Street (US 460 Bus.) – Historic Old Towne PetersburgNorthbound exit and southbound entrance

 I-95 north – Richmond		Northbound exit and southbound entrance; northern terminus; I-95 exit 51
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ↑ Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  2. ↑ National Highway System: Virginia (PDF) (Map). Federal Highway Administration. April 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 20, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Daily Traffic Volume Estimates Jurisdiction Report: Mecklenburg County" (PDF). Virginia Department of Transportation. 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Google (May 28, 2011). "Interstate 85 in Virginia" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  5. 1 2 "Daily Traffic Volume Estimates Jurisdiction Report: Brunswick County" (PDF). Virginia Department of Transportation. 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 "Daily Traffic Volume Estimates Jurisdiction Report: Dinwiddie County" (PDF). Virginia Department of Transportation. 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
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