Charlotte City Council votes Monday, Sept. 21, on whether to reverse its May decision and reinstate support for the I-77 South toll-lane project. The corridor carries about 160,000 vehicles a day, including Fort Mill and Tega Cay residents who depend on I-77 to reach Charlotte. The project would add toll lanes along 11 miles of interstate from uptown Charlotte to the South Carolina state line.
The $3.2 billion project stalled in May when the council voted 6-5 to halt it. The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO) then rescinded its support, and the North Carolina Department of Transportation pulled the project from its state improvement program.
Now the state is pushing back. Legislation tucked into the North Carolina budget requires local governments that rescinded support to reverse course by Oct. 5 or split a $69 million reimbursement to NCDOT, WCCB reported. Charlotte's share alone could top $59 million, based on the city's weighted voting power on the CRTPO, according to QCity Metro.
Charlotte holds 31 of the CRTPO's 74 weighted votes, the most of any member. Monday's council decision will likely set the direction for the CRTPO's own vote, scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 6 p.m. at the Government Center, Room 267. The Charlotte Ledger reported that Council Members Malcolm Graham and Joi Mayo, who both voted to halt the project in May, "seem likely to flip." A single changed vote on the 11-member council would pass the motion.
Council Member Graham, who chairs the Budget Committee, told WCNC he spent six weeks talking with state officials and community members. Graham said the state has offered community benefits along the corridor, including infrastructure and relocation assistance, but insisted those promises must be legally enforceable.
"I am unwilling to raise taxes to cover that fee," Graham said, adding that he would not dip into bond funds earmarked for affordable housing or risk the city's AAA bond rating.
Council Member Kimberly Owens, who also voted to halt the project in May, said she wants legally enforceable protections against displacement and guarantees that promised investments will materialize before she decides. In a Monday, Sept. 14, interview with WCNC, Owens said the project "has been so mismanaged" but added she is willing to return to the table.
The corridor averages roughly six crashes a day, nearly 2.8 times the statewide average for urban interstates, according to an analysis by Charlotte's city manager's office, as WBTV reported. NCDOT Secretary Daniel Johnson sent a letter to stakeholders in July offering to raise community benefit investments to $300 million for neighborhoods directly affected by construction.
Cornelius, Huntersville and Monroe have already reaffirmed support. Davidson and Mint Hill remained undecided as of Monday, Sept. 14.
The public hearing begins at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 E. 4th St., followed by the council vote. The meeting will stream on the city's YouTube channel and Facebook page.
