I-77 South toll lane project is dead. What next?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte leaders and community members are reacting after regional transit officials voted to permanently cancel the I-77 South express lane project Wednesday night.

The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization voted to pull its support for the project, one week after Charlotte City Council voted to rescind its own backing. The CRTPO is the body with the authority to cancel the project outright.

The $600 million the state had committed to the toll lane project will be redirected elsewhere. But the North Carolina Department of Transportation had already spent $60 million on design work, raising the immediate question of whether the General Assembly will seek to recoup that money from the city.

Councilman Ed Driggs told WCNC Charlotte last week that outcome is likely.

“They’re going to argue that they’re entitled to get that money back,” Driggs said. “That poses an interesting challenge for the either the membership of the crtpo or Charlotte, not exactly clear. Would it be a court action? Would it be a state legislative action? The ways in which this could move forward are hard to predict.”

NCDOT Board Member Stephen Rosenburgh urged the CRTPO to delay the vote and allow designers to complete their work before making a final decision.

“This is the biggest project this city will ever see. No question about it in my mind. But the most important thing, we haven’t finished the design,” Rosenburgh said. “I would beg you, literally, let us finish the design.”

The project was intended to ease growing congestion along the I-77 south corridor. Opposition mounted after initial designs released in November showed the planned lanes would threaten homes in historically Black neighborhoods.

Shannon Binns, executive director of Sustain Charlotte, helped lead the push against the project and said the vote an opportunity to start fresh.

“We don’t have to repeat the mistakes of the past,” Binns said. “We can repair, we can reconnect “Not receiving $600 million for a project that hurts our people, makes us a less attractive place to live for many, many people, and locks us into 50 years of tolls that most people can’t afford is not losing anything.”

Charlotte City Councilmembers are also responding to the decision Thursday.

Councilmember Dimple Ajmera told WCNC Charlotte: “CRTPO’s vote to rescind support for the I-77 South project is a major win for community voices and civic engagement. Residents spoke clearly about the need for greater transparency, accountability, and consideration for the neighborhoods most impacted — and those voices mattered. At the same time, the transportation and safety challenges along this corridor remain real. We must now come together to find solutions that improve mobility, reduce congestion, and respect the communities we serve.”

Councilmember JD Mazuera Arias said: We now have an opportunity to work in partnership with community, NCDOT, regional leaders, and the business community to develop a more effective and equitable solution that improves mobility, supports economic growth, and works for everyone—not just those who can afford to pay.

The people spoke, and regional leaders listened. Now, together, we build something better.”