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Abandoned Interstate 85 Connector Ramps - Gastonia, NC

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When Interstate 85 was extended westwards into Gaston County from Charlotte in 1962, it would come to a temporary end between New Hope and Cox Roads.  Traffic at that time  was funneled onto a connector highway that moved traffic onto Franklin Blvd. (US 29/74)  When I-85 was completed through Gaston County in 1965, the connector ramps remained open to traffic.  Nearby interchanges with Cox Road to the east and New Hope Road to the west were half diamond interchanges.  (See map below)

 
1991 USGS Map Orientation:  Interstate 85 is the top thick red line running from the top left corner to the right. 
Franklin Blvd. (US 29/74) runs left to right in the center of the image. 
The NC 279 New Hope Road exit is to the left of the connector and the Cox Road interchange is to the right.

 
In the early 1990s, NCDOT widened I-85 through Gastonia to six lanes.  As part of this massive overhaul to the highway, the New Hope (Exit 20) and Cox Road (Exit 21) interchanges were reconstructed into full diamonds.  The Gastonia Connector Interchange was eliminated.  The former connector -- now Aberdeen Blvd. -- serves as an access road from Franklin Blvd. to Eastridge Mall and Cox Road.  With the exception of the ramps on and off I-85, you can still travel the connector today.  Motorists can still see remnants of the ramps right-of-way from Interstate 85 and the former connector.

All photos taken by Chris Curley - November 2005

















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