CHARLOTTE — Residents packed a Charlotte City Council meeting Monday night to voice opposition to North Carolina Department of Transportation plans for elevated toll lanes on Interstate 77.
The large turnout required the use of an overflow room as community members expressed concerns about the project’s impact on local neighborhoods.
The proposed project would add elevated toll lanes along the southern portion of I-77.
While the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance expressed support for the state’s plan, several council members indicated they are seeking to slow or pause the process following the public feedback.
Community member Shauna Bell spoke during the public comment period, highlighting concerns regarding project costs, equity, and environmental impacts.
Bell noted the history of highway expansions through Black neighborhoods.
“The elevated toll lane project will cause significant harm to our communities for no added benefit at all,” Bell said.
Representatives for the business community advocated for the project to proceed.
Ann Brooks, representing the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, argued that concerns could be addressed without halting the work.
“Addressing these concerns does not require stopping or pausing the project,” Brooks said.
Several council members indicated they support delaying the project to allow for more review. Councilman JD Mazuera Arias said the message from the public was simple and that the city needs to “slow this down.”
Councilman Malcolm Graham proposed that the city use its position to negotiate with state officials.
“We use our political influence with our friends to say we need 60 days as a community to figure it out alongside NCDOT,” Graham said.
Councilman Ed Driggs, who serves on the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization, cautioned colleagues about the financial implications of opposing the state’s plan. He noted that the project is tied to a specific funding structure.
“The 600 million dollars is gone, and a hundred million for local road projects associated with that is also gone,” Driggs said.
Mayor Vi Lyles addressed the council’s limited authority in the matter, noting that the I-77 expansion is a state-managed initiative.
She told the crowd that the city is focused on relaying public feedback to the NCDOT. “The city cannot unilaterally delay or stop this project,” Lyles said.
The Charlotte City Council will determine its official position on the toll lane project during a retreat that begins next Monday, March 2.
VIDEO: City leaders demand halt to I-77 toll lanes project amid $1.1 billion cost hike
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