CHARLOTTE, N.C. — More than a month later, the head of the North Carolina Department of Transportation is still not saying anything about the future of a toll lane project.
Every day thousands of drivers wait in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Interstate 77, and everyone is waiting to find out the future of the state's solution to fix the problem.
It has been 40 days since Cintra filed for bankruptcy on a similar toll lane project in Texas.
It has been 35 days since NCDOT Secretary Nick Tennyson traveled to Texas to reevaluate the I-77 express lanes' future.
Since then, neither NCDOT nor Gov. Pat McCrory have revealed what was learned during the trip or provided a timetable for when information will be released.
“We have the same company Cintra doing both projects, so I don't know why we would expect a different result," Kurt Naas, head of Widen I-77, said.
This is especially frustrating for the thousands of Lake Norman residents fighting the project. They're calling on McCrory to cancel the contract before what happened in Texas happens in North Carolina.
Read our past coverage of the toll lanes:
- Construction on I-77 toll lanes to begin Monday
- TRAFFIC HEADACHE: Construction zone on I-77, serious crashes
- Controversy of I-77 toll roads could have affected NC primary
- Anti-toll lanes group presents findings after Texas trip
In February, Channel 9 investigated the contract between the state and the company building the lanes.
Channel 9 learned the developer is projecting to make $5.1 million from tolls in 2018, $24.6 million in 2019 and $34.5 million in 2020.
Reporter Joe Bruno also found out NCDOT has an agreement with Cintra to pay up to $12 million per year if the developer isn't making enough money for maintenance and required debt service.
Despite the governor calling for a review of all legal and financial options, no one wants to say what those options are. Toll protesters said they'll keep fighting.
"We're still here," Naas said. "We live here; we are not going away."
NCDOT also refused to tell Channel 9 how much money was spent on the trip to Texas.
All of this comes after the North Carolina Department of Justice launched a separate investigation into the I-77 toll lane contract.
A representative for the DOJ told Channel 9 on Monday that the investigation is ongoing, and the department is still receiving information from the I-77 Mobility Partners.
Also new this week, the I-77 Mobility Partners will be closing lanes near Uptown for the project.
Northbound lanes from the I-277 and I-77 interchange to the I-85 and I-77 interchange will be closed Monday night so workers can test the soil.
Ground will be broken in the south segment of the project this summer.
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Cox Media Group
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