New I-485 speed limit will be 70 mph

In conjunction with the completion of Interstate 485, the N.C. Department of Transportation said Thursday it will raise the speed limit on the outerbelt to 70 mph.

The state will start updating signs on the loop on May 26. The work should be finished by May 29, the DOT said.

The current speed limit on I-485 is 65 mph.

The DOT said recent studies found most traffic already traveled between 70 and 75 mph. It also said the outerbelt was designed for traffic to go 70 mph.

“Based on the Department’s speed studies and the design speed of the roadway, NCDOT decided to implement the new speed limit,” the DOT said in a news release.

The last segment of I-485 will open June 5 around noon. That 5.7-mile section of the outerbelt will connect N.C. 115 to I-85 in northern Mecklenburg County.

When finished, I-485 will make a 67-mile circle around the city. Construction started on the loop in 1988.

This story was originally published May 14, 2015 at 4:23 PM with the headline "New I-485 speed limit will be 70 mph."