As a complete loop, it is primarily signed with "inner" and "outer" designations, though at some major interchanges, supplemental signage reflects the local compass orientation of the road.

[8] The Interstate gradually makes a slight curve to the north and meets an interchange with Arrowood Road, another one of Charlotte's main streets, with a Topgolf restaurant seen to the side.

I-485 then curves left again and intersects NC 160 (Steele Creek Road), providing access to Charlotte Premium Outlets.

Crossing over the Piedmont rail line of Amtrak and a small stream, I-485 intersects with US 29/US 74 (Wilkinson Boulevard), allowing entrance to the main terminal of Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

I-485 then intersects a roundabout interchange with Moores Chapel Road, allowing drivers to reach the U.S. National Whitewater Center.

[12] The Interstate next meets NC 27 at a partial cloverleaf interchange for Mount Holly, then crosses the Long Creek, a tributary of the Catawba River.

[13] I-485 continues through forested land and near a dog park before utilizing another partial cloverleaf interchange with NC 16 (Brookshire Boulevard) for Newton at milemarker 16.

The interchange as of 2018 has been undergoing a feasibility study that would help improve traffic flow to I-485 and widen the northbound lanes on NC 16.

[24] The terrain of I-485 becomes a mixture of concrete and asphalt, and the Interstate passes through somewhat suburban areas, intersecting US 29 (North Tryon Street) a second time, providing access to Concord Mills and Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Passing Idlewild Road, which underwent construction numerous times,[29] I-485 turns southwest, and utilizes another partial cloverleaf interchange with US 74.

[30]Several miles later, I-485 has a partial cloverleaf interchange with NC 16 (Providence Road) again, just outside the Ballantyne neighborhood, where it travels entirely in a westward direction.

[33][34] I-485 then continues northwest, crossing Sugar Creek, before reaching I-77/US 21 at a stack interchange, completing the beltway and resetting the mileage.

To remedy the uniformity issue, the inner–outer orientation system was implemented and became the primary method of signing the direction of travel around the loop.

Secondary control cities, which include Spartanburg, Statesville, Greensboro, and Columbia, are also listed at various interchanges for travelers that want to bypass Charlotte to other destinations, via I-77 and I-85.

[46] On July 8, 1988, Governor James G. Martin and state transportation secretary Seddon Goode attended a groundbreaking near US 521, marking the start of construction on the first 1.3-mile (2.1 km) section between US 521 and North Carolina Highway 51 (NC 51).

[56][45][57] In December 1999, the main section of I-485 continued its extension north from US 74 to Idlewild Road, adding 2.3 miles (3.7 km).

Completion of the $100-million (equivalent to $155 million in 2023[49]) 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.

[64] The final segment, from I-77 to I-85 near the UNC Charlotte, had begun the right-of-way acquisition phase with contracts awarded in June 2010.

The segment was opened to traffic on June 5, 2015, finally completing the loop and providing a direct connection from I-77 near Huntersville to I-85 near Concord Mills.

[65][66] Since 2003, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has made sure that future segments of I-485 were designed with a minimum of six travel lanes.

[73][76][77] Milemarker numbering along the loop freeway goes in a clockwise direction, beginning and ending at the interchange with I-77/US 21 in southern Charlotte.