First Proposed: 1996
Route Approved: 1997 (by AASHTO, FHWA)
First Segment Signed: December 2017
Total Route to be signed (in NC): 2035?
The Route: Northeastern segment of Greensboro Urban Loop from I-40/85
to US 29 North to Danville, VA, 41 miles in NC
(6.8 Miles from I-40/I-85 to US 29
signed as I-785, to be co-signed with I-840 when Loop completed in
2023)
Route History
I-785 was
approved in 1997 after a concerted campaign by public officials and
business interests from Danville, VA and counties in North Carolina
north of Greensboro,to establish an interstate connection between
Greensboro and southern Virginia to improve the economic prospects of
the region. The route was approved as Future I-785 in 1997 by AASHTO.1
Future I-785 signs went up along US 29 soon after. Original planning
for the route had it taking US 29 for its entire length. Here's the
original route in the application:
However, the
section near Greensboro would have required an extensive and costly
upgrade of the existing US 29 expressway. Instead, NCDOT decided to
route it along its planned Greensboro Urban Loop, I-840, to make the
connection between US 29 and I-85. The first section of that route
between I-40/I-85 and US 70 opened in 2002, but it was signed as
Future I-840,not as I-785. The next segment from US 70 to US 29
started construction in 2011 and was opened to traffic in late 2014.
Prior to that in July 2013 the FHWA approved the signing of I-785
along the soon to be completed Loop segment. Though officially also
I-840, this section received only I-785 signs upon opening to
differentiate it from the disconnected western section of the Loop,
until the entire Loop was completed in January 2023. Of the remaining
planned route, the section of US 29 freeway north of Reidsville is
already up to interstate standards and needs no further work. This
section, however, cannot be signed as an interstate until it can
connect to the current I-785 along the Greensboro Loop. The section
between the Loop and Reidsville is a 4-lane divided highway with some
grade separated interchanges and other cross-street intersections that
will have to be removed, a project to do that, now only covering the
section south of NC 150 in Reidsville, is not currently planned to
start until 2031, the remainder unfunded. Therefore it is unlikely
I-785 will be signed north of Greensboro until at least 2035. More
specific details about the highway can be found in the Segment
sections below.
Segment 1 -
Greensboro Urban Loop, I-40/I-85 to US 29
6.8 Miles
Complete
For information
and photos from this Segment see Greensboro
Urban Loop page on New and Future NC Interstate website
UPDATED
10/8/23
Segment 2 - US
29, Greensboro Urban Loop to Business US 29, Reidsville
10 Miles Construction
Planned starting in 2031
This segment
was part of the original US 29 alignment, upgraded to a divided
highway over the years. The roadway is not up to interstate standards
and includes some cross-street intersections. Currently NCDOT has 2
projects in its Final 2024-2033 STIP to upgrade this section to
interstate standards. The first, R-5889A, 6 miles from I-785 to NC 150
is estimated to cost $186.2 million dollars and be constructed over 3
or 4 years, however there is currently no plan to start purchasing
Right of Way for the project until 2028, nor start construction until
2031. The second, R-5889B, 4 miles from NC 150 to Bus. 29 (listed to
US 158/NC 14 in the STIP, but that includes the current freeway
section) is listed as 'Funded for Preliminary Engineering Only' with
no start date.2 As part of its 2024 budget resolution, the
NC legislature in the fall of 2023 called for NCDOT to work with
federal agencies and the state's congressional delegation to 'expedite
the interstate designation' of US 29 from Greensboro to the Virginia
border.3 It is unknown at this time whether this will
produce and accelerated project schedule. Currently, NCDOT is
reconstructing the interchange between US 29 and Reedy Fork Parkway.
The $46.4 million project that started in June 2021 and is 48.5%
complete as of August 22, 2023 also includes upgrading the surrounding
1.3 miles of road, starting beyond Hicone Road and adding an exit
number on signage (Exit 137, and creating Future I-785 signing, see
sign plans below), after the planned completion date of October 2024.4
Segment 3 - US 29, Business US 29, Reidsville to VA
Border
24 Miles
Complete
This section is up to current interstate standards. It cannot be signed
as I-785 though until it is connected to an upgraded US 29 Segment 2
between its southern end and the I-785 segment of the Greensboro Loop.
This section is newer than Segment 2 of US 29 and was built in two
stages. The first was the US 29 Bypass of Reidsville which was completed
in 1973. Later between 1980 and 1982 the remainder of the freeway to the
Virginia border was constructed.5 This section opened in
1990. The entire freeway section was upgraded to Interstate standards in
the years after. A sign upgrade project was started in the early 2000s.
It was after this in 2006 that NCDOT decided to add numbers to the exit
signs. Since the numbers were based on US 29 mileposts, it was obvious
that NCDOT felt the completion of I-785 would still be years away.
Sign Plans
A. Sign plans associated with construction of the Greensboro Urban
Loop, to be completed in January 2023:
Plans showing changes to signage and exit tabs at current I-785 South
exit from US 29 South. The tab should read Exit 135 A.
Sign plan for the I-840 West exit off of US 29 South. Would PTI Airport
be a useful addition? To I-73?
B. Sign plans for the current project of upgrading the interchange with
Reedy Fork Parkway, to be complete in 2024 that will extend the
Interstate standard freeway 2 miles further north from Hicone Road:
The plan for the
future exit signs headed north and south.
Future signage
at the on-ramps to US 29 from Reedy Fork Parkway.
They also plan
to replace the current Future I-785 sign with a new one (see photo
below), however the current shield does not have the text Interstate
on it as seen here.
Photos along the completed and planned Route of I-785, 2017-2023
Photos taken approaching and along the path of I-785 between the
Greensboro Loop along US 29. (* Newest)
Segment 2
*The ground mounted 1 Mile advance sign on US 29 North approaching the
Greensboro Loop, courtesy of David Gallo.
*The 3/4 and 1/2 Mile overhead advance signs on US 29 North approaching
the Greensboro Loop, courtesy of David Gallo.
A 1/2 mile advance on the C/D lanes of the Greensboro Loop exit for US
29 North. The section up to the Hicone Road exit is up to interstate
standards (and I-785 does not officially end until the end of the ramp,
see the End I-785 sign in the distance).
A 1/4 mile advance sign for the Hicone Road exit, notice the speed
limit drops to 55 prior to the off-ramp.
Signage at the Hicone Road exit includes a 1 1/2 Mile advance for Reedy
Fork Parkway, but no exit number due to the non-limited access nature of
US 29 for the next 11 miles.
A Future I-785 sign prior to the Reedy Fork Parkway exit, this is going
to be replaced as part of the Reedy Fork Parkway interchange project.
*A year later, doesn't appear the sign has changed,but it's now behind
some concrete barriers, photo by David Gallo.
Construction prior to the Reedy Fork Parkway exit. They appear to be
building a new bridge, presumably up to Interstate standards, this
project is due to be completed in late 2024.
*That date may be optimistic in that a year later only part of the
bridge has been constructed over US 29, photo by David Gallo.
*This is a new Future I-785 corridor sign that has appeared along US 29
North in 2023, photo by David Gallo.
The 1 Mile advance sign for the NC 150 exit. This exit is surrounded be
cross street intersections.
The NC 150 exit sign. Again no exit number.
The 1/2 Mile advance sign for the Benaja Road exit.
The exit sign for the Benaja Road exit. The last exit without a number.
The 3/4 Mile advance sign for the Business US 29 exit. With a cross
street prior to the exit ramp.
Two Speed Limit 70 signs after the last cross street marks the
beginning of the Interstate quality highway in Reidsville.
EARLIER PHOTOS
The Future I-785 sign before Reedy Creek Parkway on US 29 North, prior
to current construction. Photo by David Johnson in July 2020.
The 1 Mile advance sign for the Hicone Road exit on US 29 (Future
I-785) South approaching the Greensboro Loop in December 2017, photo by
Strider
The 1/2 Mile advance sign for the Hicone Road exit sits beyond a
construction related VMS sign on US 29 South in December 2017, photo by
Strider.
Approaching the Greensboro Loop with the future ramps to and from
I-840 under construction in December 2017, photo by Strider.
A closer look at the future flyover ramp from I-840
East/Greensboro Loop to US 29/Future I-785 North in December 2017, photo
by Strider.
The I-785 South exit sign with space for an I-840 shield when the
Greensboro Loop is completed, taken in December 2017, photo by Strider.
Segment 3
Overhead
signage at the ramp for the Business US 29 exit, the first on the
freeway section.
Another
Future I-785 sign after the Business US 29 exit.
The
1/2 Mile advance for the US 158 West/NC 87 exit. This exit was the
first to receive an exit number as part of a construction project
that rerouted US 158 around Reidsville.
Overhead
signage at the West US 158/NC 87 exit. Why no North over US 29 on
the pull through sign?
A
1/2 Mile advance sign for the Barnes Street exit. This was the
second exit with a number, however the old sign was not replaced, as
you see the text Exit remains below, not needed for a sign with an
exit number. Other examples to follow.
The
Barnes Street exit sign for downtown Reidsville.
North
US 29 and East US 158 reassurance markers.
The
1/2 Mile advance sign for the East US 158/NC 14 exit.
The
exit sign for the East US 158/NC 14 exit. No Segment 3 photos are
not brought to you by State Express.
The
Narrow Gauge Road exit apparently has the correct exit number.
The
1 Mile advance sign for the return of US 29 Business in
Ruffin.
The
Business US 29 narrow exit sign.
A
North US 29 reassurance marker after the Business US 29 exit.
1
Mile advance for Mayfield Road.
The
Mayfield Road exit sign, and Mile 161 mile marker beyond.
The
final Future I-785 sign on US 29 North after crossing the Caswell
County line.
The
1 Mile advance sign for the Law Road exit. The exit tab, added later,
is as almost big as the sign.
The
Law Road exit sign.
The
1 Mile advance sign for the NC 770 exit. It appears the replaced the
original sign with one much smaller.
The
exit sign appears to have very thin supports holding it up, again the
exit tab is as almost big as the sign.
The
1 Mile advance sign for the US 58 West/US 29 Business exit at the
Virginia border. US 29 North (and Future I-785) joins the Danville
Bypass.
Signage
approaching the split of ramps for the Danville Bypass. Will they have
to improve the 45 MPH ramp before I-785 can be extended into Virginia?
I-785 - Greensboro to Danville, VA 
