Charlotteans, rejoice!

[Raising Heel]

Yesterday the final section of I-485 opened. I'm not sure what this means for the rest of you, but since I live near I-485 in northwest Charlotte it means a shortcut to I-85. It'll probably knock about 15 minutes off my drive to Chapel Hill and all points along the way.

They also upped the speed limit from 65 to 70, so that's pretty awesome as well. I've been waiting for this day since I bought my house 7 years ago. Woo hoo!

 

[HookUNC75]

I can see where it is a big advantage for you @Raising Heel per your location. According to google maps it will shave about 4 minutes off my drive time from western Gaston County, so I guess I'll need to pay attention to traffic and time of day when I go through or around Charlotte.

 

[Raising Heel]

@HookUNC75 Do you normally drive I-85 the whole way? Or do you come in a different way? I live off Highway 16 so it's a no-brainer for me to avoid all the stop lights and industrial areas along that route.

 

[HookUNC75]

Yes I do travel I-85 100% @Raising Heel as my house is only about 2 miles from Exit 13. Length-wise the distance from the west side interchange of I-85 & I-485 to the eastern interchange of the two is pretty much the same both ways. I guess the 4 minutes difference is due to the higher I-485 speed limit of 70 mph. One could compare this to traveling down I-85 to get to Birmingham. Depending on the time of day and traffic it's usually better to take the interstate all the way through Atlanta rather than going the I-285 route.

I would most definitely agree that you going down 16 to I-485 would be a breeze compared to any other route.