NCDOT says no to tunnels, will build elevated I-77 toll lanes through Uptown
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Rendering: NCDOT
Following "extensive community engagement," the N.C. Department of Transportation is planning to build elevated highways through the Uptown area as part of its $3.2 billion I-77 express lanes.
Why it matters: The agency says this plan reduces impacts on historic Black neighborhoods, McCrorey Heights and Wesley Heights, as well as Frazier Park and avoids Pinewood Cemetery.
- The other option the state considered was widening the highway at grade level, which would have encroached on many properties.
Catch up quick: The express lanes will stretch 11 miles from Brookshire Freeway to the South Carolina line. NCDOT will partner with a private company on the toll lanes, as was done in the northern direction on I-77.
Yes, but: Some critics are dismayed by the above-ground plan.
- Sustain Charlotte, an advocacy group, is accusing NCDOT of not listening to the community and not revealing these designs earlier.
- "You can't meaningfully weigh in on impacts, tradeoffs, or alternatives if you're not told what's actually being proposed," executive director Shannon Binns said.
- Other opponents include the Southern Environmental Law Center, The Redress Movement, and a long list of neighborhood groups.
- The concerns are vast. Opponents say toll lanes are inequitable, induce more traffic congestion in the long run, will plummet property values, harm public health and hurt the environment.
The intrigue: Some people suggested NCDOT build the new lanes underground, like tunnels in Boston and Seattle. But NCDOT says that would cost billions per mile — possibly 10 to 20 times NCDOT's annual capital budget — and require over $50 million in annual maintenance.
The other side: Charlotte Regional Business Alliance CEO Robert McCutcheon wrote to N.C. Transportation Secretary Daniel Johnson in December, urging the state to act soon. McCutcheon called the toll project "critical" to address growth, as CBJ reported.
- 157 people move to the Charlotte region each day, according to the Alliance.
- NCDOT claims it reached nearly 2,000 people between 30 small groups and two public meetings over the last year to gather community input on the proposal.
What's next: City council member Malcolm Graham, who represents many of the affected areas, is holding a town hall on the project Thursday, Feb. 5, starting at 6pm at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church.
- Construction likely won't start until at least the next decade, an NCDOT spokesperson previously told Axios.
Go deeper: Highway construction threatens Charlotte's historic Black neighborhoods again
Editor's note: We've updated this story with more detailed concerns from opponents of the project.
