Charlotte has been roiled in the past two weeks with the sudden end to the Interstate 77 South toll lane project.<\/p>\n
Read more NASCAR teammates \u2018battled each other\u2019 instead of leader, squander Coke 600 win<\/a><\/p>\n The Charlotte region\u2019s transportation board vote to kill support<\/a> for the project on Wednesday, despite the board\u2019s chair and attorney cautioning against a vote. The decision has left residents who could\u2019ve been impacted by the controversial project excited about a more collaborative step forward.<\/p>\n But the North Carolina Department of Transportation has said the move means the loss of millions of dollars in critical transportation funding. Business leaders have similarly expressed disappointment in the recent decision.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile NCDOT retains the authority to move this project forward, political opposition of this magnitude puts the June RFP release, and with it, $700 million in state investment, in real jeopardy,\u201d Charlotte Regional Business Alliance<\/a> President and CEO Robert McCutcheon said in a statement. \u201cIf that RFP does not go out, this project does not get built. And if this project does not get built, the consequences for commuters, employers, freight movement, and regional competitiveness will be felt for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n On Friday, NCDOT effectively declared the project dead.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a result of CRTPO\u2019s decision, NCDOT will need to remove the project from the State Transportation Improvement Plan to maintain compliance with federal requirements,\u201d the agency said in a statement. \u201cThe $600 million in project funds will be redistributed to other eligible projects around the state through the state\u2019s prioritization process for transportation projects.\u201d<\/p>\n How the project reached this point has been a long and winding road of its own.<\/p>\n NCDOT planned toll lanes on an 11-mile stretch from uptown to the South Carolina border in order to address crashes and congestion on I-77. The project had been in the works since 2007<\/a>, and a public-private funding agreement was approved in 2024. The state would own the lanes while partnering with a contractor to design, build, finance, operate and maintain them.<\/p>\n The corridor, according to NCDOT, has the state\u2019s highest congestion levels, seeing over 160,000 cars a day. The agency estimated that, with or without toll lanes, I-77 would see a 25% increase in traffic by 2050, meaning the roadway will see over 200,000 cars a day.<\/p>\n The concept for adding express lanes<\/a> to I-77 began with the Fast Lanes Study<\/a>.<\/p>\n NCDOT partnered with the Charlotte Department of Transportation and other regional agencies in 2007 for the study to determine whether existing and planned highways would benefit from express toll lanes to ease congestion.<\/p>\n According to the study, additional non-tolled general-purpose lanes only temporarily reduce traffic congestion. The study also found converting lanes into toll roads would speed up construction because the toll money could help pay for the expansion.<\/p>\n NCDOT has said express lanes also provide drivers with an optional and more reliable travel time. It would mean that for every vehicle in the express lane there would be one less in the general-purpose lanes, according to the state agency.<\/p>\n Residents said they felt the NCDOT wasn\u2019t being transparent in its presentations, nor was the agency engaging properly with the community. Those who lived along the corridor came out heavily against the project because they said it would significantly damage historically Black neighborhoods that have endured the cost of growth before<\/a>.<\/p>\n Several parks and greenways would have also been affected by the project, including the complete removal of Wilmore Park.<\/p>\n The first major shift was the Charlotte City Council voting 6-5 in early May to rescind its support<\/a> of the funding agreement for the project. The shocking move would direct the council\u2019s representative on the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization to similarly pull support.<\/p>\n Read more NC high school regional, state final sites, times announced for spring sports<\/a><\/p>\n There\u2019s been talks of what led to the change for some local officials, including speculation of pressure from political groups.<\/p>\n Council member Malcolm Graham<\/a> was one of the six local officials who voted in favor of rescinding support. He said he tuned out political pressure and focused on community members when making his decision.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of noise out there for sure,\u201d Graham told the Observer. \u201cMy job is to block out the noise, focus on the residents, those being impacted, and listen to their concerns. And that\u2019s what I did.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked if he was ever considering changing his vote in the following days his reply was short: \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n After hours of debate on Wednesday, CRTPO followed suit and voted to rescind its support for the project just a week after the council\u2019s stunning move. The decision came just under two years after the key transit group first voted to back it<\/a>.<\/p>\n Graham said Thursday that either way he believes the conversation can\u2019t simply just end.<\/p>\n \u201cI think at some point in time we\u2019re going to have to address congestion on I-77 South,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not if, it\u2019s when, and it\u2019s not just when, it\u2019s how.\u201d<\/p>\n Shannon Binns, executive director of the nonprofit Sustain Charlotte, similarly said no one disagrees with the idea that the heavily traveled thoroughfare needs a solution. But the debate came down to how best to fix it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe current situation is not tolerable,\u201d he said in regard to I-77 South. \u201cBut what the opportunity we have now is to do what we should have done in the beginning – explore all the ways to reduce congestion that does not involve something as simplistic and outdated as just widening the road.\u201d<\/p>\n Binns said the rejection of a toll road should not be taken as a rejection of the city or residents\u2019 willingness to work with NCDOT.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just want to work on a solution that will work for our community and is in collaboration with our community,\u201d Binns said. \u201cNot just a burden to our community.\u201d<\/p>\n