Interstate 85 Business (Spartanburg, South Carolina)

Interstate 85 Business leaves I-85 at a northbound-only off-ramp, with a southbound fly-under ramp. The first on and off ramps are with local streets used as frontage roads leading to Road 41 (North Blackstock Road). Road 41 connects with the Fairforest community, to the south, and several industrial and distribution businesses to its immediate north and west. The road then has another interchange with I-26 just before the one with Fairforest Road. The road briefly curves to the left as it runs parallel to South Carolina Highway 295 (SC 295) near the exit for New Cut Road, where SC 295 ends, then crosses over a former Southern Railways railroad line between southbound exit 4A and exit 4B, which is a roundabout interchange with SC 56. Immediately after the ramps from that interchange converge with the main road, BL 85 approaches Exit 5A another interchange with I-585/U.S. Route 176 (US 176), but only includes a southeast bound ramp for northbound traffic. The next exit (5B) is a short off-ramp to the Milliken & Company headquarters for northbound drivers. Southbound drivers can still take Exit 5B to US 176 and future I-585. Still relying on local bi-directional frontage roads, the road uses ramps to and from exit 6 to SC 9, which itself has quarter-cloverleaf interchanges to I-85 Business's frontage roads. The penultimate interchange however (exit 7) is a normal diamond interchange, albeit with one of the frontage roads terminating at the southbound on-ramp. I-85 Bus. ends at a trumpet interchange with I-85, which has access to and from both northbound and southbound I-85, unlike the southwestern end, which only has access from northbound I-85 and to southbound I-85.[3]

This is one of two separate freeway segments to carry the Business I-85 designation. The other segment exists in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, and it was also a former alignment of I-85. The old exit numbers are gone.[4]

The business loop was established in 1995 when I-85 was placed on new freeway bypassing north of Spartanburg. The old alignment, which was originally built as a super two for US 29, was upgraded to a four-lane freeway when I-85 was established in 1959. In 1962, US 29 was realigned back through downtown Spartanburg. Since 1959, few improvements have been made along the route, which is why it is labeled a substandard freeway.[4][5][6][7]

Spartanburg civic leaders in 2000 proposed that it become Interstate 685, but was turned down by SCDOT because of cost of upgrades. As a compromise, the signage was amended calling it a "Freeway Loop" at both end points along I-85.[8]

The entire route is in Spartanburg County.

Location	mi[1]	km	Old exit[3][4]	New exit	Destinations	Notes
​	0.00	0.00	—	—	I-85 south – Greenville	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Fairforest	0.55– 1.70	0.89– 2.74	69	1	Road 41 (North Blackstock Road)
Fairforest–Arcadia– Southern Shops tripoint	1.70– 2.16	2.74– 3.48	70	2	I-26 – Columbia, Asheville	Signed as exits 2A (east) and 2B (west)
Arcadia–Southern Shops line	2.11– 2.50	3.40– 4.02	71	2C	Road 525 (Fairforest Road)
Arcadia–Saxon– Southern Shops tripoint	3.06– 3.69	4.92– 5.94	72A	3	SC 295 south / New Cut Road – Spartanburg Community College	Northern terminus of SC 295
Saxon–Southern Shops line	3.86	6.21	72B	4A	Broadcast Drive	Southbound exit only
Southern Shops	4.00– 4.50	6.44– 7.24	72C	4B	SC 56 (Asheville Highway) to US 176 west	Signed as exit 4 northbound; roundabout interchange
	4.58– 4.66	7.37– 7.50	73A	5A	I-585 south / US 176 east (Pine Street)	Current northern terminus of I-585
Valley Falls	4.86	7.82	73B	5B	US 176 west – Inman, USC Upstate	No access from I-85 Bus. northbound
	4.87	7.84	74	5B	Milliken Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	5.57– 6.23	8.96– 10.03	75	6	SC 9 (Boiling Springs Road)
​	6.99– 7.56	11.25– 12.17	76	7	Road 191 (Bryant Road)
​	7.81– 8.77	12.57– 14.11	—	—	I-85 – Greenville, Charlotte	Trumpet interchange
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access

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