Final segment of Interstate 485 opens around Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) –The last segment of Interstate 485 around Charlotte is opening.

A ceremony was planned Friday afternoon for the final segment of a road around the state’s largest city.

It’s a project that has taken 27 years to build. Transportation department officials say they have spent more than $812 million to complete the 67-mile loop.

The final segment is nearly six miles long.

The road has driven development around the city, brining hotels, restaurants, stores and new housing.

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