CHARLOTTE — A group of community advocates and city leaders is calling for a pause on the I-77 toll lanes project in South Charlotte after new state data revealed a $1.1 billion cost increase.
Six Charlotte City Council members have signed a request to halt the project following a public meeting held on Wednesday.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation plans to construct elevated express toll lanes for I-77 South.
Sustain Charlotte, an advocacy group pushing back against the development, cited the state’s Transportation Improvement Program, which now lists the project cost at $4.3 billion, up from an initial estimate of $3.2 billion.
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Langley, the president of the McCrorey Heights Neighborhood Association, addressed the board regarding the need for immediate intervention.
“You all have the vote to pause this project. It may need to be a special session, but we need you to pause this project because NCDOT, right now, is not serving the public’s interest,” Langley said.
Six members of the Charlotte City Council have signed a release requesting the halt of the development. Elected official Ed Driggs indicated that leaders are currently evaluating how to balance public concern with the transportation requirements of the region.
“I think all of us elected officials are thinking about how we can respond to the concerns that we’re hearing about, and is there some sort of compromise that would be sensitive to what people are saying but also address the needs on I-77?” Driggs said.
The CRTPO previously granted the state permission to solicit bids for the construction of the new toll lanes.
Sustain Charlotte is now actively working to have that permission withdrawn and is pushing for further changes to the project plan.
A report on the specific changes requested by Sustain Charlotte is expected later this week.
VIDEO: Survey markings for new I-77 toll lane concern neighbors in McCrorey Heights
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