Talk:Interstate 485/GA1
GA Review
{{atopr
| status =
| result = Unsuccessful. Bneu2013 (talk) 05:29, 9 June 2024 (UTC)
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{{Good article tools}}
Nominator: {{User|NoobThreePointOh}} 00:51, 14 May 2024 (UTC)
Reviewer: Bneu2013 (talk · contribs) 00:12, 9 June 2024 (UTC)
Starting review. Bneu2013 (talk) 00:12, 9 June 2024 (UTC)
:I'll probably only be able to respond to the review around the 16th since I'm on vacation right now. NoobThreePointOh (talk) 04:29, 9 June 2024 (UTC)
Sorry, but I don't think this article is ready in its current state. Some comments below.
;Infobox and lead
- "Beltway around Charlotte, NC" is unconventional for a short description. For auxiliary Interstates, we would normally use something like "Interstate Highway in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Also, spell out "North Carolina".
- Per WP:LEADCITE, {{tq|The entire route lies within Mecklenburg County.}} needs a citation either here or elsewhere.
- Use the date that the numbering was approved by AASHTO as the establishment date. This information can be found [https://grmservices.grmims.com/vsearch/portal/public/na4/aashto/default here]. Also include this information in the history section.
;Route description
- Link first uses of all numbered routes.
- Remove all redundant honorary names in the route description body that are mentioned in the "Dedicated and memorial names". I also suggest rearranging the "Dedicated and memorial names" section into prose form. Examples of this can be found at Interstate 40 in Tennessee#"Music Highway" and honorary designations and Interstate 75 in Michigan#Freeway names.
- Cut {{tq|The segment of I-485 from here to I-85 is the latest segment of the Interstate, completed in 2015.}}; this is covered in the history section.
- Cut {{tq|The interchange ramps were closed as part of a project to build express lanes along I-485 on August 1, 2023.}} and move to history section if necessary.
- Use {{para|Convert}} for all precise mileage figures.
- This isn't necessary if the current citations are adequate, but we usually use maps such as road atlases or ones provided by the respective DOT for route descriptions.
- Third paragraph in "Orientation and signage" is not cited. Also suggest combining second and third paragraphs in this section and rewording as necessary.
- Unclear if the inner-outer system has always been used on I-485.
- Cut any other information that is irrelevant to this section.
;History
- Missing information about the background and planning of the route.
- Since practically all of this route was built after the National Environmental Policy Act, it was most certainly subject to multiple environmental impact studies. I strongly suggest including information about these studies; as a bonus, an EIS will usually provide information about the planning and background of the project. Most of these are available on Google Books, the Northwestern University Transportation Library, HathiTrust, and other sources.
- The first section opened around 1967, yet planning for the outerbelt didn't begin until 1975? Was the first section intended to be part of a different route? Clarification is needed for this.
- Per WP:SUMMARY there are too many short paragraphs. I suggest combining them into longer paragraphs in order to ensure no more than four paragraphs per section in most instances. This is the formula I followed with Interstate 40 in Tennessee (an FA) and other road articles I have promoted to GA. Single sentence paragraphs like {{tq|In 1975, planning began for the Charlotte outerbelt.}} are especially discouraged.
- Suggest saying that the Governor and transportation secretary officiated the groundbreaking ceremony.
- Add the dates that work began on each section or the contract was awarded, if available.
- The entire widening project most certainly did not take place entirely in May 1999. Add the start and finish dates for the project. Ditto "October 19, 2004".
- Reword {{tq|NCDOT could not immediately deal with the issue thanks to a 2000 policy that prevented the state using trust fund money}} to less opiniated language.
- {{tq|had begun the right-of-way acquisition phase with contracts awarded in June 2010.}} - Right-of-way is usually acquired before construction contracts are awarded. This needs to be clarified.
- I suggest splitting this section into subsections about initial construction and post-construction activities (widenings, new interchanges, etc.), although I am aware the latter began before the route was completed. You will likely end up with a separate subsection for planning too.
- Rearrange sentences about future interchanges to include the grading first, followed by the opening date.
- I'm seeing a number of redundancies and ambiguities throughout this section. For example {{tq|In 2003, the last 12.5 miles (20.1 km) needed to link main I-485 to its northern stub was completed, at a cost of $55.4 million (equivalent to $88 million in 2023[48]). Opening in two phases, the first 7.5-mile (12.1 km) segment opened on September 3, 2003, between University City Boulevard and NC 27 (Albemarle Road); two months later, the second five-mile (8.0 km) segment opened on November 19, between Albemarle Road and Lawyers Road.}} No need to mention "2003" or "the last 12.5 miles" in the first sentence, although I do wonder if both sections were planned to open at the same time. Suggest rewording to something like "The 7.5-mile (12.1 km) segment between University City Boulevard and NC 27 (Albemarle Road) opened on September 3, 2003. On November 19, 2003, the adjacent five-mile (8.0 km) segment extending to Lawyers Road opened. This linked main I-485 (specify what "main I-485" is) to its northern stub.
- {{tq|seven-mile (11 km) segment was noted that it would relieve traffic along the Billy Graham Parkway and provide an alternative route to Charlotte Douglas International Airport.}} - did these benefits come to fruition?
- No mention of the I-85/485 interchange project; I see citations for this elsewhere. I also suggest moving information about congestion at this interchange from the route description here.
;Future
- The toll lanes had likely been planned before November 18, 2011, since that is the date the article was published.
- {{tq|At a cost of $202.9 million, the 16.6-mile (26.7 km) I-485 Express Lanes project will establish new toll lanes along its entire planned route.}} - "its entire planned route" is ambiguous.
- {{tq|Construction was slated to begin "tentatively" in mid-2018, and is currently still going on as of 2024.}} - did construction start in mid-2018?
- I suggest making this a subsection of the history section, and retitling it to something like "Toll lane construction".
;Exit list
- If you can find a better source than Google Maps for mileposts, this is preferred. Also, this source only covers roughly the western third of I-485.
- Citations needed for future interchanges.
;References and images
- Several citations are dead and/or incomplete.
- Images are awkwardly bunched together. Suggest alternating orientations.
- Align images to where the photo of the reassurance marker appears in the "Orientation and signage" section. Reword caption to something like "A reassurance marker displayed on I-485 outbound near Matthews. As a complete beltway, I-485 uses the inner–outer directional system."
{{abot}}