A week after the Charlotte City Council voted to rescind support for the controversial Interstate 77 South Express Lanes project, the N.C. Department of Transportation unveiled a new vision Monday for how the highway corridor could be transformed — if the city agrees to go along with it.
The concepts include parks built over I-77, upgraded bridges with bike and pedestrian lanes, expanded greenways and public art. The state says the new designs are aimed at reconnecting west Charlotte neighborhoods long divided by the interstate, which were cut up and cut off from uptown when the highway was built.
But the agency also made clear: None of it would happen unless the larger toll lane project moves forward, and if it doesn't, the $600 million the state has earmarked to cover a portion of the multibillion-dollar project would go away.
"The cap and stitch concepts we are releasing represent a real opportunity to reconnect what was disconnected," NCDOT Western Deputy Chief Engineer Brett Canipe said in a statement Monday.
The agency said the concepts were developed with engineering consultants and are feasible if the project moves ahead. NCDOT did not release cost estimates for the concepts Monday.
Opponents warn project would destroy homes and parks
The I-77 South Express Lanes project would add toll lanes between uptown Charlotte and the South Carolina state line, two in each direction, built and operated by a private contractor. The proposal has sparked fierce opposition from residents and community groups who argue it would destroy homes, green space and a neighborhood park in historically Black neighborhoods near uptown.
Last week, Charlotte City Council narrowly voted 6-5 to rescind support for the project's public-private partnership structure. The move has jeopardized the project and would kill it outright if several other local governments on the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization also vote to withdraw support, as they have indicated they will.
In a letter to Mayor Vi Lyles last week, NCDOT Secretary Daniel Johnson warned that killing the project could delay any future widening of I-77 for years because the state would have to restart the environmental review and planning process from scratch.
NCDOT pitches parks, greenways and neighborhood connections
The six new concepts released Monday appear designed to address long-standing criticism that I-77 severed west Charlotte neighborhoods from uptown and from each other when the highway was first constructed in the 1960s and 70s.
One proposal would transform the Oaklawn Avenue bridge over I-77 into a wider, landscaped crossing, reconnecting the McCrorey Heights and Genesis Park neighborhoods. Renderings show separated bike and pedestrian lanes, public art, benches and neighborhood signage.
Another concept would rebuild the West Fifth Street bridge with a new park decked over the interstate near Frazier Park and Ray’s Splash Planet. Plans include basketball courts, a performance space, a dog park, skatepark and community lawn.
The state also proposed extending the Irwin Creek Greenway with a pedestrian tunnel beneath I-77 linking Revolution Park and Abbott Park. Renderings show a cave-like tunnel with illuminated ceilings and large stone features.
Additional concepts include upgraded pedestrian and bike connections along West Trade Street and a redesigned Remount Road bridge featuring a small, park-like space suspended over the interstate.
The largest proposal is a “long cap” park stretching over I-77 between West Fifth and West Trade streets. The design includes basketball courts, a performance area and a large lawn connected to a future business development, while toll lanes would pass above part of the park structure.
NCDOT said the concepts were developed through months of community engagement and feedback gathered at public meetings and a new community engagement center near uptown.
Still, the agency emphasized Monday that the concepts are tied directly to the toll lane project, a public-private partnership, itself.
“If support for the P3 were rescinded,” the agency wrote, “the project would not proceed. The six concepts released today would also not move forward.”
