The North Graham Street ghost on ramp - Interstate 277 Charlotte

Interstate 277 around Uptown Charlotte can be an adventure. From backed-up traffic and crazy merges to slaloming through lane changes, I-277 is one of Charlotte's most talked-about highways. One of its most challenging interchanges has been memorialized in a video game. There are also proposals to turn the urban Interstate into a river. And on the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend, they run a 10k on it.

If you've ever been struck in traffic on Inner I-277 between Graham Street and I-77, you may have wondered what this ramp stub was for. (Adam Prince - March 2019)

I-277 isn't a long highway, running at just under 4.5 miles. It offers great views of the skyline and of the constantly changing cityscape. And I will admit, I'll sometimes drive around 277 just to get a view of the growing city.

Above: The former North Graham Street ramp is located in the top center of the aerial photograph.  The long ramp was removed around 2005 to make way for Music Factory Boulevard and apartments. (NCDOT - 1991)

Below: What was left of the North Graham Street on-ramp in June 2007 (Google Street View)

If you are stuck in traffic on the Outer 277 between Graham Street and Interstate 277, you may have noticed an odd feature of the road where an onramp to 277 once was or was supposed to go. There is an answer: it is a remnant of an old I-277 on-ramp from North Graham Street, eliminated around 2005. The ramp began at the modern intersection of Music Factory Boulevard and North Graham. It curved up to I-277 over what is now the residential parking lot for the Cadence Music Factory Apartments.

Another look from Music Factory Boulevard at the ghost stub from the former N. Graham Street on-ramp.

The removal of the ramp did not prevent drivers on North Graham Street from accessing Interstate 277. Drivers would now turn at 12th Street to use that on-ramp, which has been part of the highway since the beginning. The ramp's elimination removed one of the merge points in the Interstate's last mile before the Interstate 77 interchange, making one less lane weave and merge delay on I-277.

All photos taken by the post author unless otherwise noted.

Further Reading:

• Repairing the Mistake of I-277 ---Phil Veasley, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Urban Institute
• I'm writing about making I-277 a river to promote my brand ---Jerry Markovich

Sources & Links:

• Interstate 277 @ NCRoads.com Annex ---Mike Roberson
• Interstate 277 @ Interstate-Guide.com ---Alex Nitzman