Interstate 185 (South Carolina)

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Interstate 185
Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System
Length: 17.70 mi[1] (28.49 km)
Formed: 1955
South end: I-385 near Mauldin
Major
junctions:		 I-85 near Greenville
North end: US 29 at Henrydale Drive
South Carolina highways
< SC 183 SC 187 >

Interstate 185 (abbreviated I-185) is located in the city of Greenville, South Carolina. The northern portion, which ends just shy of the Greenville city limits, was opened in the 1960s and is cosigned with U.S. 29. The southern portion, which connects the I-85/I-185 interchange (exit 42) with the I-385/U.S. 276 interchange (exit 30), was opened as a toll road in 2001 ($1.00 per passenger vehicle). This extension was dubbed the "Southern Connector" and increased I-185 from three to seventeen miles in length.

Contents

[edit] Southern Connector

The Southern Connector was constructed as a public-private partnership between the South Carolina Department of Transportation and Interwest Carolina Transportation Group, LLC, a development team that included a not-for-profit corporation called Connector 2000 Association, Inc. (C2A).[2] Under this agreement, C2A operates the toll road under a fifty year license. They were responsible for financing, designing, constructing, operating and maintaining the road during this period and the toll revenue would be used to pay them for these efforts. To finance the project, C2A sold bonds that were tax-exempt under IRS Rule 63-20, which provides that the bonds sold will be exempt if they finance an activity which is "public in nature."[3][4]

The highway opened in February 2001, nine months ahead of schedule.[5] By 2007, the Connector 2000 Association was having financial difficulties because ridership on the toll road was not meeting original estimates. In the fall of 2007, they began looking for a concessionaire to take over the operation and financial liability of the toll road.[6] By early 2008, C2A had received a default notice from their lender[7] and the SCDOT announced that C2A was more than $5 million behind in its payments for the maintenance and license fees under their agreement.[8]

Travelers on the Southern Connector can pay using electronic toll collection facilities. South Carolina uses the PalmettoPass,[9] which can be used on both the Southern Connector and the Cross Island Parkway on Hilton Head Island.

I-185 was planned as part of a continuous route through Greenville on this 1955 map. Note that Interstate 85 would have used the U.S. Route 29 corridor from Greenville east towards Spartanburg.
I-185 was planned as part of a continuous route through Greenville on this 1955 map. Note that Interstate 85 would have used the U.S. Route 29 corridor from Greenville east towards Spartanburg.

[edit] Exit list

The entire route is in unincorporated Greenville County.

# Destination Notes
I-385 north – Greenville Southbound exit and northbound entrance
SC 417 – Mauldin, Simpsonville Southbound exit and northbound entrance
1B I-385 south – Columbia Southbound exit and northbound entrance
1A Neely Ferry Road, Standing Springs Road Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Toll plaza
4 Fork Shoals Road
7 US 25 (Augusta Road) – Greenwood Signed as exits 7A (north) and 7B (south) northbound
10 SC 20 (Piedmont Highway)
Toll plaza
12 SC 153 to US 123 – Easley, Clemson
14 I-85 / US 29 south – Spartanburg, Atlanta South end of US 29 overlap; signed as exits 14A (north) and 14B (south)
15 US 25 (White Horse Road) – Travelers Rest Northbound exit and southbound entrance
16 SC 20 to US 25 – Piedmont Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Henrydale Drive At-grade intersection
US 29 north (Mills Avenue) – Greenville Continuation beyond Henrydale Drive

[edit] References

  1. ^ Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways as of October 31, 2002
  2. ^ TollRoadsNews.com October 26, 2007 Article
  3. ^ SCDOT 27-in-7 Brochure
  4. ^ Nossaman.com Article - "The Use of '63-20' Nonprofit Corporations in Infrastructure Facility Development", May 1, 2001, Karen J. Hedlund
  5. ^ InnovativeFinance.org Project FAQ
  6. ^ Request for Qualifications from Connector 2000 Association to interested Concessionaires, September 27, 2007
  7. ^ Default Event Notice, January 23, 2008 Letter from U.S. Bancorp
  8. ^ Charleston Regional Business Journal, Toll Roads: Highway robbery or a path to progress?, February 18, 2008, Molly Parker
  9. ^ Palmetto Pass FAQ - Where can I use my Palmmetto Pass?

[edit] External Links

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Auxiliary routes of Interstate 85