#TBT: I-485 will finally be completed. What a difference 27 years makes

I was 1 year old when ground was broken on the first segment of Interstate 485. That was 1988. I don’t remember it.

Granted, I wasn’t living in Charlotte at the time. Also I was 1.

Twenty-seven years later, the city’s outerbelt will finally be buckled.

The N.C. Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that I-485 will be finished and open for traffic on Friday, June 5.

You’ll be able to drive the entire 67-mile circle. Just for kicks.

Charlotte was a very different place in 1988. Let’s see how much has changed in the time it took to finish I-485.

Average gas price in N.C.

June 1988: $1.068 per gallon.

May 2015: $2.45 per gallon.

Charlotte population

1985: estimated at 185,000.

2013: estimated at 792,862.

NBA team

1988: The Charlotte Hornets began their inaugural season.

2015: The Charlotte Hornets finished their first season with the newly-reclaimed Hornets name.

Billboard Hot 100 No. 1

May 14, 1988: “Anything for You” – Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine.

May 14, 2015: “See You Again” – Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth.

Corey

1988: In diapers, probably chewing on something. Or sleeping.

2015: Wearing big-boy pants and writing for C5.

Photos: Davie Hinshaw/Charlotte Observer

Corey Inscoe is editor of CharlotteFive. Follow him on Twitter @CoreyInscoe.

This story was originally published May 14, 2015 at 12:40 AM with the headline "#TBT: I-485 will finally be completed. What a difference 27 years makes."