Communities join Charlotte in opposition to I-77 tolls project

CHARLOTTE — In a stunning twist. Charlotte City Council voted to no longer support what was being called the biggest highway project in the state’s history: toll lanes on Interstate 77 from the Uptown area to the state line.

Councilmember Renee Johnson made the motion.

“If you think of rock, paper, scissors, you all are saying paper, and I am saying scissors,” Johnson said. “We just need to cut it and start over. I don’t think that is so much to ask.”

Councilmembers Renee Johnson, JD Mazuera Arias, LaWana Mayfield, Malcolm Graham, Joi Mayo and Victoria Watlington voted in favor of Charlotte rescinding its support. Councilmembers Kimberly Owens, James Mitchell, Dante Anderson, Dimple Ajmera, Ed Driggs voted against it.

The move directs the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization representative, Ed Driggs, to pull Charlotte’ support of the project. Charlotte holds most of the cards. But at least Matthews and Mecklenburg County will be joining the Queen City. Leigh Altman votes for Mecklenburg and says she’s worried the North Carolina Department of Transportation has focused too much on toll lanes and not enough on alternatives.

“This is a big decision, this is a generational decision,” she said. “It’s got a lot of negatives, and we need independent input from subject matter experts about alternatives to managed lanes.”

Raki McGregor lives in McCrorey Heights, one of the neighborhoods next to the project. He chairs the transportation committee for the influential Black Political Caucus, which was fiercely opposed to the tolls.

“It’s not going to reduce congestion,” he said. “I wish that weren’t the case.”

He praised councilmembers for their vote and says this is a great example of leaders putting their communities first.

“I am really looking for this to not be a moment but for this to be the creation of a movement where we, the people, are not forgotten as we progress this city forward,” he said.

He expects the vote and I-77 tolls to be discussed at Sunday’s Black Political Caucus meeting.

CRTPO

I-77 South will not be on next week’s CRTPO agenda, officials tell Channel 9 Government Reporter Joe Bruno. The community engagement coordinator for the CRTPO says Driggs will be absent next week and the agenda packet has already been distributed to board members. James Mitchell is the alternate member on the CRTPO for Charlotte.

If an item is not on the agenda, a 2/3 majority vote is needed for it to pass. If an item is on the agenda, a simple majority is all that is required.

Charlotte has 31 of 74 votes on the CRTPO. Matthews (2) and Mecklenburg County (3) are also in favor of rescinding support. The three will need at least two more votes to join them to nix the project by majority vote.

In October 2024, Davidson, Huntersville, Cornelius, Marvin, Weddington and the Metropolitan Transit Commission all voted in opposition to the project. Bruno reached out to all of their representatives. Only Davidson Mayor Rusty Knox got back to him. He says he needs to talk it over with the board.

If all of those communities join Charlotte, Matthews, and Meck County, that’s still not a 2/3 majority.

NCDOT statement:

We’re aware of the vote that happened at the City Council meeting. The local planning organization requested NCDOT deliver this project, and reaffirmed support several times since 2014.

Under the law, the project is still in the STIP, which means it will not be removed until CRTPO removes the project from their plan. It’s important to remember that this is a regional project, and other municipalities in addition to Charlotte will need to weigh in. NCDOT stands ready to deliver a project for this growing part of the state that helps ease congestion and gridlock and includes community feedback.

NCDOT has responded to feedback from the community, including hosting community listening sessions with the project developers in Charlotte this week, establishing a community advisory group, and hosting a summit around reconnection opportunities next week. Our community engagement center remains open and we continue to welcome feedback and questions. No matter how this situation moves forward, NCDOT is committed to working alongside the community to determine the best path.

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