View source for Interstate 385

{{Short description|Interstate Highway in South Carolina}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2018}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox road
| state = SC
| route = 385
| type = I
| map = {{maplink-road|from=Interstate 385.map}}
| map_custom = yes
| map_notes = I-385 highlighted in red
| length_mi = 42.16
| length_ref = <ref>{{cite web |last=Starks |first=Edward |date=January 27, 2022 |title=Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways |url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/interstate_highway_system/routefinder/table02.cfm |access-date=August 28, 2022 |work=FHWA Route Log and Finder List |publisher=[[Federal Highway Administration]]}}</ref>
| established = 1962{{citation needed|date=June 2019}}
| spur_type = I
| spur_of = 85
| direction_a = South
| terminus_a = {{Jct|state=SC|I|26}} near [[Clinton, South Carolina|Clinton]]
| junction = {{Plainlist|
*{{Jct|state=SC|I-Toll|185}} near [[Mauldin, South Carolina|Mauldin]]
*{{Jct|state=SC|I|85}} near [[Greenville, South Carolina|Greenville]]
}}
| direction_b = North
| terminus_b = {{Jct|state=SC|BS|385|dab1=Greenville|US|276}} in [[Downtown Greenville, South Carolina|Downtown Greenville]]
| counties = [[Laurens County, South Carolina|Laurens]], [[Greenville County, South Carolina|Greenville]]
| previous_type = SC
| previous_route = 381
| next_type = SC
| next_route = 385
}}
'''Interstate&nbsp;385''' ('''I-385''') is an [[auxiliary Interstate Highway]] located in the [[Upstate South Carolina|Upstate]] region of [[South Carolina]]. I-385 is a spur route of [[Interstate 85 in South Carolina|I-85]]. The highway provides a connection between [[Greenville, South Carolina|Greenville]] and [[Interstate 26 in South Carolina|I-26]] to the south, connecting Greenville to [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]] and [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]]. Around Greenville, the last several miles of I-385 forms the northeastern quadrant of a partial [[beltway]] around Greenville's southern suburbs along with [[Interstate 185 (South Carolina)|I-185]].

==Route description==
[[File:SC Highway 49 exit on I-385.JPG|thumb|left|[[South Carolina Highway 49|SC&nbsp;49]] exit on I-385, {{Convert|4|mi|km|spell=in}} before the road ends at [[Interstate 26 in South Carolina|I-26]]]]
After exit&nbsp;42, I-385 turns into I-385 Business (I-385 Bus.) and becomes East North Street and later—for northbound motorists only—Beattie Place. The business route promptly ends at [[U.S. Route 29 in South Carolina|US Highway&nbsp;29]] (US&nbsp;29; Church Street) near [[Bon Secours Wellness Arena]] in [[Downtown Greenville, South Carolina|downtown Greenville]].

The explosive economic growth of southern Greenville county is largely attributed to I-385 and its connection to the city of Greenville and the major cities of [[Atlanta]] and [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]] (via I-85). This area is known by locals as the "Golden Strip".

I-385 features a rather unusual rest area in the median strip near [[Laurens, South Carolina|Laurens]] that serves both directions of traffic. It was completed as part of the original design of the [[U.S. Route 276|US&nbsp;276]] expressway in 1958, modeled after the type of single median-located rest areas shared by both north and southbound traffic (to save money). The design is similar to many of those built on turnpikes that predated the Interstate System.
{{-}}

==History==
{{More citations needed|date=July 2010}}
[[Image:Greenville, South Carolina 1955 Yellow Book.jpg|thumb|1955 "Yellow Book" map of [[Greenville, South Carolina|Greenville]]]]
The general idea—but none of the specifics—of I-385 were present on the 1955 [[Yellow Book (Interstate system)|Yellow Book]] map of the [[Greenville, South Carolina|Greenville]] area. Also of note is that [[Interstate 85 in South Carolina|I-85]] would have used the [[U.S. Route 29 in South Carolina|US&nbsp;29]] corridor from Greenville east toward [[Spartanburg, South Carolina|Spartanburg]] based on the diagram.

The portion of I-385 that replaced [[U.S. Route 276|US&nbsp;276]]<ref name=AASHTO>{{Cite web|url=http://projectprofiles.transportation.org/i385.html |title=AASHTO Project Profiles: South Carolina Department of Transportation I-385 Rehabilitation Project |access-date=May 15, 2012 |author=American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials |author-link=American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials |date=May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235444/http://projectprofiles.transportation.org/i385.html |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> (from [[South Carolina Highway 417]] [SC&nbsp;417] in [[Mauldin, South Carolina|Mauldin]] to [[South Carolina Highway 56|SC&nbsp;56]]/[[Interstate 26 in South Carolina|I-26]] in [[Clinton, South Carolina|Clinton]]) was initially the first phase built of a [[South Carolina Department of Transportation]] (SCDOT) plan that predated the Interstate System to upgrade and bypass existing through routes, the goal of forming a single [[limited-access highway]] from Greenville to the port of [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]] via the state capital of [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]]. This plan was scrapped as soon as the future I-26 was added to the act of [[United States Congress|Congress]] that set into motion the Interstate System. As a result, I-26 was one of the first Interstates in the south to open in significant mileage (most in South Carolina between 1959 and 1963).{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}

Before 1985, I-385 was only signed as such from [[Downtown Greenville, South Carolina|downtown Greenville]] to I-85. The portion of the freeway from US&nbsp;276 in Mauldin to the southern terminus at I-26 was signed as US&nbsp;276. When the connecting portion was completed, the entire freeway was signed as I-385.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}

For seven months ending July 23, 2010, northbound traffic could not use a {{Convert|15|mi|km|adj=on}} section of I-385 in [[Laurens County, South Carolina|Laurens County]] due to a $60.9-million (equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|60900000|2010}}}} in {{Inflation/year|index=US-GDP}}{{Inflation/fn|index=US-GDP}}) project to pave the portion extending from [[South Carolina Highway 101|SC&nbsp;101]] to the I-385/I-26 interchange near Clinton in concrete. The closing of a major highway generated controversy.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/07/25/1601956/i-385-reopened-after-7-month-closure.html|title=I-385 reopened after 7-month closure|last=Cay|first=Nathaniel|work=Greenville News|date=July 25, 2010|access-date=July 25, 2010}}</ref> Closing the Interstate for construction saved approximately $34&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|34000000|2010}}}} in {{Inflation/year|index=US-GDP}}{{Inflation/fn|index=US-GDP}}).<ref name=AASHTO />

Between 2002 and 2012, I-385 was widened from two to three lanes in each direction from just north of exit&nbsp;24 near [[Fountain Inn, South Carolina|Fountain Inn]] to just south of Woodruff Road/[[South Carolina Highway 146|SC&nbsp;146]] (exit&nbsp;35), with the portion between exits&nbsp;31 and 35 resurfaced in concrete.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.scdot.org/inside/I-385/altroutes.aspx|title=I-385 widening|work=South Carolina Department of Transportation|date=September 9, 2012|access-date=January 8, 2013}}</ref>

Between February 2016 and January 2020, the I-385/I-85 interchange was overhauled to decrease congestion and related accidents.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.85385gateway.com/|title=I-85/385 Gateway|website=www.85385gateway.com}}</ref>

==Exit list==
{{jcttop|state=SC|exit|length_ref=}}
{{SCint|exit
|county=Laurens
|cspan=8
|location=Clinton
|lspan=2
|mile=0.00
|exit=
|road={{jct|state=SC|I|26|dir1=east}}
|notes=Continuation beyond southern terminus; I-26 exit 51
}}
{{SCint|exit
|mile=2.00
|exit=2
|road={{jct|state=SC|SC|308|city1=Ora|city2=Clinton}}
}}
{{SCint|exit
|location=Laurens
|lspan=2
|mile=5.31
|exit=5
|road={{jct|state=SC|SC|49|city1=Laurens|city2=Cross Anchor}}
}}
{{SCint|exit
|mile=8.55
|exit=9
|road={{jct|state=SC|US|221|city1=Laurens|city2=Enoree}}
}}
{{SCint|exit
|location=Gray Court
|lspan=3
|mile=10.34
|exit=10
|road=Metric Road&nbsp;– [[Gray Court, South Carolina|Gray Court]]
}}
{{SCint|exit
|mile=15.87
|exit=16
|road={{jct|state=SC|SC|101|city1=Woodruff|city2=Gray Court}}
}}
{{SCint|exit
|type=concur
|mile=18.87
|exit=19
|road={{jct|state=SC|SC|14|dir1=east|city1=Owings|city2=Gray Court}}
|notes=Southern end of SC&nbsp;14 concurrency
}}
{{SCint|exit
|location=Fountain Inn
|lspan=3
|mile=21.63
|exit=22
|type=concur
|road={{jct|state=SC|SC|14|dir1=west|city1=Fountain Inn}}
|notes=Northern end of SC&nbsp;14 concurrency
}}
{{SCint|exit
|county=Greenville
|cspan=17
|mile=23.10
|exit=23
|road={{jct|state=SC|SC|418|city1=Fountain Inn|city2=Pelzer}}
}}
{{SCint|exit
|mile=24.11
|exit=24
|road=Fairview Street&nbsp;– [[Fountain Inn, South Carolina|Fountain Inn]]
}}
{{SCint|exit
|location=Simpsonville
|lspan=3
|mile=25.77
|exit=26
|road=Harrison Bridge Road
}}
{{SCint|exit
|mile=27.13
|exit=27
|road=Fairview Road&nbsp;– [[Simpsonville, South Carolina|Simpsonville]]
}}
{{SCint|exit
|mile=28.71
|exit=29
|road=Georgia Road&nbsp;– [[Simpsonville, South Carolina|Simpsonville]]
}}
{{SCint|exit
|espan=2
|location=Mauldin
|lspan=6
|type=incomplete
|mile=30.14
|mspan=2
|exit=30
|road={{jct|state=SC|I-Toll|185|dir1=north|name1=Southern Connector|US|276|dir2=west|location1=[[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]]|city2=Anderson|city3=Mauldin}}
|notes=Northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-185 exit 1B; eastern terminus of US&nbsp;276
}}
{{SCint
|type=incomplete
|mile=none
|road={{jct|state=SC|road|Old Stage Road|road|E. Standing Springs Road|to3=to|US|276}}
|notes=Southbound exit and northbound entrance
}}
{{SCint|exit
|mile=30.98
|exit=31
|road={{jct|state=SC|I-Toll|185|dir1=north|location1=[[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]]}}<hr>{{jct|state=SC|SC|417|name1=Laurens Road|city1=Simpsonville}}
|notes=I-185 not signed northbound
}}
{{SCint|exit
|mile=33.07
|exit=33
|road=Bridges Road&nbsp;– [[Mauldin, South Carolina|Mauldin]]
}}
{{SCint|exit
|mile=34.13
|exit=34
|road=Butler Road&nbsp;– [[Mauldin, South Carolina|Mauldin]]
}}
{{SCint|exit
|mile=35.50
|exit=35
|road={{jct|state=SC|SC|146|name1=Woodruff Road|city1=Mauldin}}
}}
{{SCint|exit
|location=Greenville
|lspan=6
|mile=36.20
|exit=36
|road={{jct|state=SC|I|85|city1=Spartanburg|city2=Anderson}}
|notes=Signed as exits 36A (north) and 36B (south) northbound; single exit 36 southbound; I-85 exits 51B-C
}}
{{SCint|exit
|mile=37.29
|exit=37
|road=Roper Mountain Road
}}
{{SCint|exit
|mile=38.87
|exit=39
|road=Haywood Road
}}
{{SCint|exit
|mile=40.11
|exit=40
|road={{jct|state=SC|SC|291|name1=Pleasantburg Drive}}
}}
{{SCint|exit
|mile=41.86
|exit=42
|road={{jct|state=SC|US|276|city1=Travelers Rest|city2=Mauldin}}
}}
{{SCint|exit
|exit=—
|mile=42.16
|road=East North Street ([[Interstate 385 Business (Greenville, South Carolina)|I-385 Bus.]] north)
|notes=Continuation as [[Unsigned highway|unsigned]] I-385 Bus.
}}
{{jctbtm|exit|keys=concur}}

==Interstate 385 Business==
{{Infobox road small
|state=SC
|type=BS
|route=385
|location=[[Greenville, South Carolina|Greenville]]
|formed=1962
|length_mi=0.490
|length_ref=<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ris.scdot.org/LogMileReport.aspx?county=23&type=2&number=385&auxiliary=5&map=y |title=Highway Logmile Report |publisher=South Carolina Department of Transportation |access-date=December 14, 2020 }}</ref>
}}

'''Interstate&nbsp;385 Business''' ('''I-385 Bus.''') is a {{convert|0.490|mi|km|adj=on}} [[boulevard]]-grade [[business route]] of I-385 along North Street, between Stone Avenue ([[U.S. Route 276|US&nbsp;276]]) and Church Street ([[U.S. Route 29 in South Carolina|US&nbsp;29]]). It is an [[unsigned highway]]. Its continuation along North Street becomes [[South Carolina Highway 183|SC&nbsp;183]]. It also connects to [[U.S. Route 123|US&nbsp;123]] (Academy Street) and SC&nbsp;183 (Beattie Place).<ref>{{google maps |url=https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=E+North+St&daddr=E+North+St&hl=en&sll=34.853784,-82.385788&sspn=0.029477,0.055747&geocode=FfXTEwIdwOsW-w%3BFaXKEwId6cEW-w&t=p&mra=dme&mrsp=1&sz=15&z=15 |title=Overview map of I-385 Bus. (Greenville) |access-date=May 19, 2013 }}</ref> Signage previously existed for this spur route but, by 2007, has been removed;{{citation needed|date=December 2020}} appears only in the SCDOT Greenville–Spartanburg Metro map.<ref>{{cite map |url=http://info2.scdot.org//GISMapping/GISMapdl/Greenville_Metro.pdf |title=Greenville–Spartanburg Urban Area |page=Sheet 16 |section=G5 |publisher=South Carolina Department of Transportation |date=September 2013 |access-date=December 14, 2020 |archive-date=November 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110111157/http://info2.scdot.org//GISMapping/GISMapdl/Greenville_Metro.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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==See also==
*{{Portal-inline|U.S. roads}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{AttachedKML|display=title,inline}}
*{{commons category-inline}}
*[https://www.angelfire.com/sc3/scroads/i385.html Mapmikey's South Carolina Highways Page: I-385]

{{3di|85}}

[[Category:Interstate Highways in South Carolina|85-3]]
[[Category:Auxiliary Interstate Highways|85-3]]
[[Category:Interstate 85|3]]
[[Category:Transportation in Laurens County, South Carolina]]
[[Category:Transportation in Greenville County, South Carolina]]