If you travel I-85 north of Charlotte you notice a big construction project underway. This is the final interchange to connect I-85 with I-485. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is implementing the largest turbine interchange in North Carolina. This design will allow for vehicles to navigate the interchange easy with minimal decrease in speed.
This Map shows the final expansion of I-485 to I-85. When complete, this will connect the I-485 outer loop. The area R-2123CE is where the turbine interchange is being constructed.
A project of this size will create open spaces when complete and this could be a perfect opportunity to create a large scale Highway Eddy. As describes in Roman Mars 99% Invisible podcast, the potential for these spaces in traditionally dead areas are new avenues for city planners to focus time and resources to develop a creative space in this land area.
- This is how the land around the I-485 & I-85 interchange looks today.
The area where the turbine interchange is being created was once lush with trees. The interchange is nestled in between the suburbs of University City and Concord both with a specific identity.
The UNCC Crown logo is simple, and can be easily recreated in the I-485 / I-85 Highway Eddy with the use of inexpensive shrubbery.
University City is Charlotte’s largest suburb, it is the home of the Charlotte campus of the University of North Carolina, and it is a hub for major companies such as IBM, Electrolux, and Speed Channel. The suburb of Concord is a still developing community that is home to Charlotte Motor Speedway where NASCAR races twice a year.
It would be recommended to design the space in this Highway Eddy to assimilate with these communities. For instance, in a similar Highway Eddy in Uptown Charlotte, a floral landscaping design to resemble an American flag was constructed during the Democratic National Convention. Options for the I-485 / I-85 Highway Eddy could be to replicate this idea yet make a landscaping pattern in that of the UNCC logo, and a black and white checkered flag to identify this area with the two prominent features of this area.
Example of a how design can beautify a Highway Eddy. This red, white, and blue pattern resembles an American flag and was created for the DNC. A similar design can be used for the I-485 I-85 Highway Eddy
Another opportunity for the I-485 / I-85 Highway Eddy would be to return the land as best as possible to it’s original landscape. As previously mentioned, before this land was cleared to make way for the turbine interchange it was lush with trees. Replacing the cleared trees with new ones in the green area can help community members reengage with this parcel of land as they did before construction began.
This picture from the NCDOT suggests that replanting trees in the green areas of the Highway Eddy are currently planned and budgeted for the project.
The I-485 / I-85 turbine interchange is revolutionary. The design is relatively new and it has not been incorporated on a wide-scale level. This turbine interchange will be studied by researchers and civil engineers alike. It is recommended that the developers do everything they can to ensure it’s positive impact in the community for the community and future studies.
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