The North Carolina Department of Transportation held two public meetings this week about its plan to rebuild Interstate 77 from uptown to the South Carolina line. The $3.2 billion project will be the biggest public works project Charlotte has seen.
The DOT plans to build two express toll lanes in each direction on I-77. Widening the highway will bring it closer to homes and businesses.
Eddie Owens lives close to the highway near Arrowood Road and is worried about the impact.
“I’m concerned about how this is going to end up, and how long it’s going to take,” he said at a community meeting Thursday night. “I know the road will be torn up and traffic will be bad.”
One area of particular concern: A larger interchange uptown with I-277 and I-77, which will encroach on historically Black neighborhoods near uptown.
The tolls on the express lanes would vary depending on the level of congestion in the general-purpose free lanes. The city of Charlotte and the DOT have planned to build express lanes on the highway since 2007.
The DOT partnered with a private company, Cintra, to build toll lanes on I-77 in north Mecklenburg County. They opened in 2019.
Brett Canipe with the DOT said the state plans to make changes to the contract with a private contractor for the I-77 south toll lanes. He said the state wants to have input in how much tolls are charged.
“We want to maximize throughput,” he said.
The DOT hopes to award a contract in 2027. Construction could begin in 2030.
There are no firm design plans yet. The DOT has proposed building elevated toll lanes through some parts of the project near uptown. It may also build all of them at-grade.
