CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If you live here, most likely you have driven the loop around Charlotte known as I-485. But imagine an even bigger loop that extends 125 miles around Charlotte.
That’s an idea that one social media user claims are being proposed. But is that true?
THE QUESTION
Is there a proposed I-685 that would loop around the greater Charlotte metropolitan area?
OUR SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, there is no proposed I-685 that would loop 125 miles around Charlotte.
WHAT WE FOUND
In an email to WCNC Charlotte, Thompson wrote that NCDOT does not have any current plans to build I-685 around the Charlotte area.
She went on to say, it would take collaboration with planning organizations in the greater Charlotte area, and South Carolina, to make this a reality. Currently, there are no existing plans to construct another outer belt.
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According to TARPO, there is currently a proposed I-685, that would use that same name and run from Greensboro to the Fayetteville area -- and not loop around the greater Charlotte area.
We also took the picture from Reddit and overlaid it onto a Google map image of Charlotte. We found the roads labeled "existing roads" in orange are not all interstate highways.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, in order to create an interstate, the roads need to follow a specific design. So the roads that connect around the state would need to be turned into an interstate, meaning several lanes need to be added and traffic lights would need to be removed.
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.