The North Carolina Department of Transportation has cancelled a tour of the neighborhoods near the controversial Interstate 77 express toll lane project, citing what it says are credible security concerns.
DOT secretary Daniel Johnson was supposed to tour impacted neighborhoods near center city with community leaders and elected officials Tuesday. It’s part of the DOT’s expanded public engagement before issuing in June a Request for Proposals from companies to build four additional lanes for the congested highway.
But on Sunday night DOT sent an email saying that “it’s come to our attention that the event plan is no longer feasible due to credible security concerns. Out of an abundance of caution, and with the safety of attendees in mind, we are canceling tomorrow's tour.”
The e-mail didn’t go into detail about the threat, or whether the state has contacted law enforcement. WFAE reached out to the DOT Monday morning to get more information about the state’s concerns.
The state said Monday afternoon that "Late Sunday evening, we became aware of potential circumstances that could not be safely accommodated within the scope of the event."
Some activists and community leaders were upset that they didn't receive an invitation to the DOT-guided tour, and said they were going to come and try and attend.
Sustain Charlotte, which was not invited, wrote in an e-mail that "a large group showing up to a tour of their neighborhoods and offering input to elected officials is not a security issue that warrants cancellation; it warrants showing up and listening."
Some neighborhoods want to stop the I-77 project, saying the toll lanes will negatively impact their communities – just as the construction of the original highway did decades ago. They have protested at City Council meetings and meetings of the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization.
In response, the DOT has said it will delay issuing the RFP until June, to extend a public listening session with residents.
The DOT has said it will ask contractors to look for alternative designs to be less intrusive. One possibility is placing a concrete cap over part of the highway near uptown and create a park on top. The state has also talked about the possibility of bringing “community benefits” to the area, such as affordable housing; workforce development programs; and perhaps a community center.
But the state hasn’t scaled back the toll lanes, and hasn’t given any guarantee the project will change significantly. With the highway still slated to be expanded by two lanes in each direction, the DOT and its four possible contractors will likely struggle to find a less intrusive design.
The DOT had already proposed elevating some of the toll lanes near uptown. That would create a more narrow footprint and require fewer homes to be demolished.
But many residents oppose that design as well.
The DOT has mostly dismissed the idea of going underground for a small section of the highway because it’s too expensive. The City Council could use money from the recently passed transportation sales tax to partner with the state, but city leaders have declined to consider that option.
