Historic neighborhood could be in the path of 77 expansion project
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Residents in a West Charlotte neighborhood are pushing back against a proposed plan that could impact their neighborhood. North Carolina Department of Transportation has released maps for a project that would expand Interstate 77 and some homes in McCrorey Heights could be in the path of the project.
Shauna Bell’s home in the historic McCrorey Heights neighborhood sits beneath the Brookshire Freeway.
“There’s a history of expansions in Charlotte, getting rid of houses in this neighborhood,” Bell said. “What is going to happen to everybody’s property values when a road is essentially coming through the neighborhood?”
Bell fears she could be in the path of a new project as DOT officials plan to expand an 11 mile stretch of Interstate 77 from the South Carolina line to Brookshire Freeway. The maps show her home could be impacted and she got a letter from state officials about testing the soil on her property.
“It looks like there’s a proposed express exit or entry lane that comes right off of Andrill Terrace, and then comes right across the property line and then goes on down Van Buren,” Bell said.
The $3.2 billion dollar project would add new express toll lanes, interchanges, bridges and exits to ease congestion along 77.
“While progress happens, I think there’s another piece that needs to be looked at on who is always taking the brunt of the progress of a city,” Bell said. “Progress happened in order to build the best water plant and we took the brunt of that. Progress happened in order to build Brookshire, and we took the brunt of that. At what point are we not responsible for the progress of Charlotte?”
Residents are mobilizing to spread the word about the project they believe will impact their quality of life and property values. McCrorey Heights earned a historic designation in 2022. Residents hope this offers some kind of protections.
“We are looking at all options that we can in order to in order to try to protect what we have here. This is a special neighborhood,” Bell said. “This neighborhood has a lot of history to it, a lot of history and just black history in Charlotte, a lot of ties to the civil rights movement locally and nationally.”
NC DOT says the plan is in the design phase so maps are not final yet. They say they have presented at at least 20 outreach meetings with nearly 800 residents so far.
There are two formal public meetings planned:
- Nov. 12, 2025 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Johnson C. Smith University, Smith Tech-Innovation Center – Room 322
100 Beatties Ford Road
Charlotte - Nov. 13, 2025 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Silver Mount Baptist Church
501 West Arrowood Road
Charlotte
