Interstate 185 (I-185) is located in the city of Greenville, South Carolina. The northern portion, which ends just shy of the Greenville city limits, was opened in the 1960s and is cosigned with U.S. 29. The southern portion, which connects the I-85/I-185 interchange (exit 42) with the I-385/U.S. 276 interchange (exit 30), was opened as a toll road in 2001 ($1.25 per passenger vehicle). This extension was dubbed the "Southern Connector" and increased I-185 from three to seventeen miles (27 km) in length.
Route description
Southern Connector
I-185 was planned as part of a continuous route through Greenville on this 1955 map. Note that
I-85 would have used the
US 29 corridor from Greenville north towards
Spartanburg.
The Southern Connector was constructed as a public-private partnership between the South Carolina Department of Transportation and Interwest Carolina Transportation Group, LLC, a development team that included a not-for-profit corporation called Connector 2000 Association, Inc. (C2A).[2] Under this agreement, C2A operates the toll road under a fifty year license. They were responsible for financing, designing, constructing, operating and maintaining the road during this period and the toll revenue would be used to pay them for these efforts. To finance the project, C2A sold bonds that were tax-exempt under IRS Rule 63-20, which provides that the bonds sold will be exempt if they finance an activity which is "public in nature."[3][4]
The highway opened in February 2001, nine months ahead of schedule.[5] By 2007, the Connector 2000 Association was having financial difficulties because ridership on the toll road was not meeting original estimates. In the fall of 2007, they began looking for a concessionaire to take over the operation and financial liability of the toll road.[6] By early 2008, C2A had received a default notice from their bond trustee[7] In January 2010, the bond trustee missed an interest payment,[8] and the C2A was more than $8 million behind in its payments to SCDOT for the maintenance and license fees under their agreement.[9] On June 24, 2010, the Southern Connector filed for bankruptcy.[10] Travelers on the Southern Connector can pay using electronic toll collection facilities. South Carolina uses the PalmettoPass,[11] which can be used on both the Southern Connector and the Cross Island Parkway on Hilton Head Island.
History
Exit list
The entire route is in Greenville County.
References
- ^ "Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways as of October 31, 2002". Federal Highway Administration. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/routefinder/table2.htm.
- ^ Samuel, Peter (October 26, 2007). "Greenville Southern Connector up for concession offers – not-for-profit ailing". TollRoadsNews. http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/3211.
- ^ "27-in-7 Peak Performance" (PDF). SCDOT. http://www.dot.state.sc.us/inside/pdfs/27in7.pdf.
- ^ Hedlund, Karen J. (May 1, 2001). "The Use of '63-20' Nonprofit Corporations in Infrastructure Facility Development". Nossaman Infrastructure. http://www.nossaman.com/showarticle.aspx?show=854.
- ^ "Partners unveil Southern Connector" (Press release). Southern Connector Toll Road. February 16, 2001. http://www.southernconnector.com/press04_Feb-16-01.htm.
- ^ "Request for Toll Road Concessionaire Qualifications" (PDF). Connector 2000 Association. September 27, 2007. http://www.southernconnector.com/pdfs/SCTR_RFQ2.pdf.
- ^ "Notice of an Event of Default" (PDF). U.S. Bancorp. January 23, 2008. http://www.southernconnector.com/pdfs/12308%20Event%20Notice-%20Trustee.pdf.
- ^ "Event Notice No. 2010-1" (PDF). Connector 2000 Association. January 11, 2010. http://www.southernconnector.com/pdfs/Event%20Notice%202010-1.pdf.
- ^ "Balance Sheet" (PDF). Connector 2000 Association. September 30, 2009. http://www.southernconnector.com/pdfs/Update%20-%20September%2030%202009.pdf.
- ^ Bathon, Michael; McCarty, Dawn (June 25, 2010). "Connector 2000 Association Files Bankruptcy in South Carolina". Businessweek. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-25/connector-2000-association-files-bankruptcy-in-south-carolina.html.
- ^ "Palmetto Pass FAQ - Where can I use my Palmetto Pass?". Southern Connector Toll Road. http://www.southernconnector.com/Zpalpass_faqs.htm.
External links
Route map: Google / Bing
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| Major U.S. Highways |
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Major South Carolina
State Highways |
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Interstate Highways in South Carolina
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| Current |
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I-385 north – Greenville
SC 417 – Mauldin
US 25 (Augusta Rd.) – Ware Place, Greenville
SC 20 (Piedmont Highway) – Greenville, Piedmont
SC 153 west – Easley
I-85 / US 29 south – Spartanburg, Anderson
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