NCDOT Delays I-77 Toll Lane Project After Community Backlash in Charlotte

The North Carolina Department of Transportation pushed back its Interstate 77 toll lanes project. The agency announced Monday that it would delay the timeline by several months. More time for public engagement was needed. Growing pressure from residents and local leaders forced the decision after complaints about transparency and input.

The $3.2 billion project would add express lanes to an 11-mile stretch between the Brookshire Freeway exit and the South Carolina border. NCDOT had planned to issue its first requests for proposals to finalist companies this month. Those requests are now pushed back until June.

Charlotte City Council planned to vote Monday evening to direct the agency to take a 60-day pause, though the transportation department announced the delay before the vote took place.

"I think they have listened to council members over the last week and a half. These are small steps," said District 2 Councilman Malcolm Graham, according to The Charlotte Observer. "There's certainly a lot more work to be done."

The Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg filed a temporary restraining order Monday morning against the agency requesting a halt to the project, along with several residents of McCrorey Heights. State Senators DeAndrea Salvador and Caleb Theodros also reached out to Gov. Josh Stein to request a pause.

In November, the transportation department released two proposed design plans. Some of the maps showed roadways going through people's homes along the corridor. Encroachments on the grounds of Pinewood Cemetery, a Black cemetery with historical significance, also appeared.

The agency said it would go with raising toll lanes in the uptown portion near McCrorey Heights to reduce the impact on nearby neighborhoods. Project design is only about 10% to 15% complete, according to the news release.

North Carolina Secretary of Transportation Daniel Johnson will host small group meetings with affected residents and set up a center where residents can drop in and ask questions. Four finalist companies also will use the extra time to meet with residents along the corridor, Graham said.

"This project design is in its very early stages, and we want the public to know there is significant time remaining for their voices to be heard," said Johnson, according to Queen City News.

Shannon Binns, who leads the nonprofit Sustain Charlotte and organized opposition voices, said he worries the agency will only use the time to collect feedback rather than look at viable alternatives to adding toll lanes. Construction is not expected to start until the early 2030s.