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Group Set To File Lawsuit To Stop I-77 Toll Lanes

A group trying to stop a toll project on I-77 is taking its argument to court. The group called Widen I-77 is filing a lawsuit Tuesday morning to stop the North Carolina Department of Transportation from partnering with a Spanish company to add toll lanes.

The toll lanes would be optional – you can keep driving in the current I-77 lanes for free, or if you have at least two other people in the car with you, you could use the toll lanes for free. Otherwise, you could pay to use them to speed up your commute.

How much that’ll cost is an unknown. A subsidiary of Spanish company Cintra would get to set the price as its reward for covering over 80 percent of the project’s cost. The company insists it’ll set prices that encourage use, but it’s refused to give even a general range so far.

That’s part of the reason the group Widen I-77 is against it. It’s mounted vocal opposition in Mooresville and Cornelius, and today it’s filing a lawsuit. The group’s lawyer pitches this as a “David versus Goliath battle” that will likely take more than a year.