Regional transportation planners on Wednesday discussed partnering with a private contractor to build and manage express toll lanes on Interstate 77 from uptown to the South Carolina state line.
Planners already decided last decade that I-77 will be expanded with only toll lanes, with the price of the toll fluctuating depending on how much traffic there is.
The question is whether the NC Department of Transportation builds the $2.1 billion project on its own — or whether it turns to a private contractor, as it did with the I-77 toll lanes in north Mecklenburg.
The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization said if the state used only public money, the earliest state funding would be available is 2029. The project would open in the 2040s.
If it partnered with a private company, the lanes could be open in the 2030s.
During Wednesday’s discussion, the NC DOT did not mention one of the downsides to turning to a private contractor to manage the project: The likelihood that motorists would pay higher tolls than if the state controlled the toll lanes.
There are privately managed toll lanes on I-77 from uptown to Mooresville.
For southbound traffic, the maximum toll for the entire trip is $39.5. The minimum toll is $2.45.
At 4:30 p.m. earlier this week, the actual toll for the full southbound trip was $17.
The state is also building express toll lanes on Interstate 485 in south Charlotte. The state hasn’t set toll rates yet, but they are expected to be much lower on a per-mile basis.
That toll revenue is not meant to cover the cost of construction, only to pay for the toll-collecting system.
The Spanish company Cintra, which built and operates the toll lanes in north Mecklenburg, has put in an unsolicited proposal to do the I-77 south job.
Planners will take a vote on whether to move forward with a private contractor at a later date.
