Mecklenburg County’s environmental committee on Tuesday discussed the negative impact of the proposed Interstate 77 toll lanes on county parks, streams and air quality.
Commissioners were angry that the North Carolina Department of Transportation didn’t disclose the impacts until after the state said it was too late to stop the project.
At the request of committee chair Elaine Powell, the county analyzed how the toll lanes would impact county owned greenspace. In a presentation, county staff said the expanded highway would impact 11 parks and four greenways.
If the DOT ultimately chooses to build elevated toll lanes through uptown, the impacts to Frazier Park in uptown would be less significant. But the county said Irwin Creek near Revolution Park would need to be rerouted, and that both highway proposals would eliminate Wilmore Park.
The Charles Sifford Golf Course near Remount Road would also lose land, though the county said the DOT has made some design changes to lessen the impact.
Commissioner Laura Meier said she wants the DOT to start over. Elaine Powell said the impacts to county-owned parks make her feel like the green-faced, vomiting emoji.
Leigh Altman said the DOT should have disclosed its design maps sooner.
“Now we learn of tremendous impacts to Mecklenburg County assets,” she said. “And impacts not just to parks but our way system, our creeks, our watershed and our air.”
Altman was referring to the DOT’s decision to release detailed design maps two months after an August 2025 deadline had passed when the state asked contractors for their qualifications.
Under pressure from residents and elected officials, the DOT has agreed to delay issuing a Request for Proposals for the toll lanes for three months.
It said Tuesday that “no final determination has been made about impacts to any specific park, greenway, or open space.”
While Mecklenburg Commissioners are angry, they have little ability to decide whether the toll lanes are built or how they are built. The Charlotte City Council has 31 of 68 votes on the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization, whose approval is needed for the I-77 expansion to move forward.
Many City Council members were also upset about the highway, though they appear mollified by the DOT’s pledge to listen to the community for three additional months. The DOT has also said it will ask the four contractors expected to submit bids to work on creative designs. The state has also touted possible “community benefits” to nearby residents, such as a community center and basketball courts. It’s also said it will study placing concrete caps over sections of the highway near uptown and placing green space on top.
