Interstate 485
Intertstate Highway around around Charlotte in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States
Interstate 485 (I-485), also known as the Charlotte Outerbelt, is a 66.68-mile-long (107.31 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway encircling Charlotte, North Carolina. As a complete loop, it is primarily signed with "inner" and "outer" designations, though at some major interchanges, supplemental signage reflects the local compass orientation of the road. The entire route lies within Mecklenburg County.
A beltway for the Charlotte metropolitan area was first proposed in the mid-1970s, with the first section opening in 1990. The beltway was completed in stages over the next several decades, including the completion of the last segment of the highway on June 5, 2015.
Route description
All of I-485 is part of the National Highway System, a network of roads important for the nation's defense, economy, and mobility. Most of I-485 ranges from four to eight lanes wide, and the speed limit for the entire loop is 70 mph (110 km/h).
Western half
The mileage begins at I-77/US 21 in southern Charlotte, near the South Carolina state line. The southwestern segment of I-485 from here to I-85 is known as the Seddon "Rusty" Goode Jr. Freeway.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Interstate 485” is intertstate Highway around around Charlotte in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Interstate, Intertstate and Highway, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “intertstate Highway around around Charlotte in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 3, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2451482. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1990 and 2015.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Interstate 485”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Interstate 485 primary sources, Interstate 485 archive and Interstate research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Interstate 485”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Interstate 485” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.