I-77 toll lane designs unveiled as NCDOT seeks more community feedback

CHARLOTTE — Transportation leaders are urging neighbors to weigh in after releasing new renderings for the Interstate 77 toll lane project in south Charlotte, as concerns persist over displacement, historic homes, and green space.

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Officials with the North Carolina Department of Transportation wanted to ensure the community knows it is listening and is encouraging more people to come to the information center at 1023 W. Morehead St., Suite 150 to weigh in on the new I-77 toll lanes in south Charlotte.

NCDOT shared with Channel 9 and other news outlets what it’s heard from the community and what officials are doing about it.

Officials said when they learned about concerns over displacement still harming the community, they held a summit about the issue.

As a result, transportation officials said they opened a community engagement center 30 days earlier than planned and started canvassing.

They also established a community advisory group drawn from the corridor. They created an elevated design to avoid tearing down several homes. The plan would impact the Wilmore neighborhood the most.

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Community advocates said that despite the list of responses, it is not enough.

“Our observation is to start over and find another plan, instead of trying to switch out the Band-Aid,” said Robert Dawkins, Action NC. “So, they went from the ugly Band-Aid to the Band-Aid with the Mickey Mouse little row on it. But it’s still a Band-Aid. It’s not going to fix the problem.”

NCDOT said it is not its mission to disrupt a community but to keep it safe.

“Something has to be done,” said Jen Goodwin, NCDOT. “We have almost three times the average statewide crash rate for urban interstate, similar to (I-77). We have five fatalities a year already, 160,000 vehicles per day using this stretch of (I-77), and it’s going to grow, whether we do anything or not.”

Visitors can access the center by making virtual or in-person appointments online or by calling 1-800-254-0498. The facility will also accept drop-in visitors.

I-77 toll lane designs unveiled as NCDOT seeks more community feedback

Operating hours are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. State and federal holidays may impact these hours.