Interstate 185 (South Carolina)

Infobox road
state=SC
route=185
type=I


maint=
length_mi=17.70
length_round=2
length_ref= [ [http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/routefinder/table2.htm Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways as of October 31, 2002] ]
year_established=1955
direction_a=South
terminus_a=Jct|state=SC|I|385 near Mauldin
junction=Jct|state=SC|I|85 near Greenville
direction_b=North
terminus_b=Jct|state=SC|US|29 at Henrydale Drive
previous_type=SC
previous_route=183
next_type=SC
next_route=187

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 ($1.00 per passenger vehicle). This extension was dubbed the "Southern Connector" and increased I-185 from three to seventeen miles in length.

outhern Connector

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). [ [http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/3211 TollRoadsNews.com] October 26, 2007 Article] 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." [ [http://www.dot.state.sc.us/inside/pdfs/27in7.pdf SCDOT 27-in-7 Brochure] ] [ [http://www.nossaman.com/showarticle.aspx?show=854 Nossaman.com Article] - "The Use of '63-20' Nonprofit Corporations in Infrastructure Facility Development", May 1, 2001, Karen J. Hedlund]

The highway opened in February 2001, nine months ahead of schedule. [ [http://www.innovativefinance.org/projects/highways/grnville.asp InnovativeFinance.org Project FAQ] ] 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. [ [http://www.southernconnector.com/pdfs/SCTR_RFQ2.pdf Request for Qualifications] from Connector 2000 Association to interested Concessionaires, September 27, 2007] By early 2008, C2A had received a default notice from their lender [ [http://www.southernconnector.com/pdfs/12308%20Event%20Notice-%20Trustee.pdf Default Event Notice] , January 23, 2008 Letter from U.S. Bancorp] and the SCDOT announced that C2A was more than $5 million behind in its payments for the maintenance and license fees under their agreement. [ [http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/pub/14_4/news/11394-1.html Charleston Regional Business Journal] , Toll Roads: Highway robbery or a path to progress?, February 18, 2008, Molly Parker]

Travelers on the Southern Connector can pay using electronic toll collection facilities. South Carolina uses the PalmettoPass, [ [https://www.palmettopass.net/scripts/WebObjects.exe/PalmettoPass.woa/wo/fL1000pO100TH500e/0.7.5.0 Palmetto Pass FAQ] - Where can I use my Palmmetto Pass?] which can be used on both the Southern Connector and the Cross Island Parkway on Hilton Head Island.

Exit list

The entire route is in unincorporated Greenville County.

References

External links

* [http://SouthernConnector.com SouthernConnector.com]
* [http://www.PalmettoPass.net PalmettoPass.net]