Transportation leaders meet to talk about community concerns over I-77 toll lanes project

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Neighbors in Charlotte’s historic McCrorey Heights neighborhood are asking local transportation officials to pause the I-77 toll lanes project that would cut through neighborhoods and eliminate parks. The express lane project has been in the works for decades as a solution to reduce congestion on the interstate between the South Carolina border and the Brookshire Freeway.

When NC DOT released preliminary maps last year, there was a lot of community backlash. The early designs built through communities that had already been negatively impacted by other highway expansion projects. The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization discussed options for addressing the community concerns in the meeting Wednesday night.

McCrorey Heights Neighborhood president Sean Langley said, “I urge you to focus on results. Conduct a thorough cost-benefit analysis before moving forward with this NC DOT project and don’t fall victim to NC DOT saying that this project doesn’t harm 95% of the community.”

NC DOT’s Stephen Rosenburgh said, “We’ve probably spent about $50 million on this already. So if the city doesn’t want this, then I, as a board member will say, well, what does the city want to really be involved in these other projects? I really think we need to be clear on what the city wants the state department of transportation to do.”

On Monday, NC DOT is opening a community engagement center where residents learn more about the project and weigh-in.