Renewed support emerges for controversial I-77 south toll lanes

WAXHAW, N.C. — Renewed support is emerging for the controversial I-77 toll lane plan in south Charlotte. The shift comes as the North Carolina budget mandates municipalities that previously withdrew backing for the project to reimburse the state, prompting Huntersville, Cornelius and Monroe to reverse their opposition.

The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization board is scheduled to vote on whether to reinstate the project in late September.

The proposed toll lanes have garnered support from some residents and officials who believe they will alleviate traffic congestion in the region.

The state budget requires municipalities that previously pulled support for the I-77 toll lane project to pay the state back. This financial implication has led several local governments to reconsider their stance on the project.

Waxhaw has consistently supported the toll lane project, which has faced opposition from other communities like Charlotte and Matthews.

Stephen Bretzinger, a Waxhaw resident, believes the proposed toll lanes on I-77 South could improve his daily commute into Charlotte. “I would go up Providence Road to 485 to 77 routinely. That’s how I’d go into work,” Bretzinger said. “So I definitely support it. If you don’t go early, you’re stuck.”

Robert Murray, the Mayor of Waxhaw and a member of the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO) board, also advocates for the project. Murray frequently uses I-77 to travel uptown.

“I know I use I-77 to get Uptown very frequently, and anyone else who goes into Uptown will be using I-77,” Murray said. “So for that reason, I saw it as a necessary project.” He drafted a resolution to reaffirm Waxhaw’s support for the project.

Murray acknowledged he does not favor the project’s funding model but believes the road improvements would benefit the region. Despite some concerns that the project could harm certain Charlotte neighborhoods, Murray offered a candid assessment.

“I think the damage is already done to those neighborhoods in all honesty,” Murray said. “That’s blunt, and it’s insensitive, but I think that’s the real truth to the matter.”

Bretzinger pointed to other communities with toll roads as examples of improved traffic flow. “I think it’s already apparent up in Davidson. How much better it is navigating Lake Norman and coming into uptown,” Bretzinger explained.

Town leaders are discussing the resolution during a work session at 6:30 p.m.

The draft says, “A resolution reaffirming support for the public-private partnership (P3) funding model for the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s I-77 South Express Lanes Project and the preservation of regional and local transportation funding.’

Mayor Murray said the resolution was drafted to ensure that all commissioners are on the same page before the CRPTO Board votes in September. Commissioners will likely vote on the resolution at their next meeting in August.

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