Less than a month before a critical vote on the proposed Interstate 77 toll lanes, the Charlotte City Council last night heard from both sides of the debate in its public forum.
The city of Charlotte has more than 40 percent of the weighted vote on the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization. That board will decide September 23rd whether to bring the toll lanes back or reaffirm its decision in May to withdraw support for the controversial $4 billion project.
Robert McCutcheon of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance pointed to the state’s pledge to spend up to $300 million to improve connections between the west side and uptown.
“The debate over I-77 has too often become about winners and losers,” he said. “But what if Charlotte can do something bigger? What if we can reduce congestion for hundreds of thousands of people and reconnect communities divided for generations?”
Others, like the Reverend Janet Garner-Mullins, urged council members to not change their minds.
“The question before you is simple. What has changed? The concerns raised by residents have not changed, and the burdens that toll roads place on families have not changed,” she said. “What’s changed is the pressure on local governments to revisit decisions already reached through public engagement and careful deliberation.”
The General Assembly wants the city and other local governments to pay $60 million in design costs if the toll lanes aren’t brought back.
