Even as Charlotte pushes back on new toll lanes for Interstate 77 South, the state is considering adding more express lanes to the north.
The N.C. Department of Transportation said it’s in talks with toll lane operator Cintra to add another toll lane through north Mecklenburg and south Iredell Counties.
The proposal would add a second toll lane for seven miles — from the Catawba Avenue exit in Cornelius to N.C. 150 in Mooresville. Congestion is still heavy in that section because it has only two general-purpose lanes and one toll lane in each direction.
If the DOT approves the plan, Cintra would collect the new toll revenue and allow heavy trucks into the toll lanes. The company also says it will consider public benefits, such as lowering tolls on the existing lanes.
The state has until October to approve or reject the plan. The negotiations were first reported by WSOC.
The I-77 north toll lanes remain controversial nearly seven years after opening. Drivers continue to complain about high tolls and persistent congestion around Lake Norman at rush hour.
Cintra has generated nearly half a billion dollars in toll revenue so far and has 43 years remaining on its contract.
A spokesperson for the N.C. Turnpike Authority said the two sides have outlined their goals in a memorandum of understanding.
"Under the MOU, I-77 Mobility Partners (A Cintra subsidiary) develops and funds the initial technical, financial, traffic, and environmental analyses, and NCDOT retains full oversight and final decision-making authority. The MOU outlines a phased review and negotiation process, with any future decision contingent on demonstrating clear public benefits — such as congestion relief, improved mobility, and value for local communities.”
The DOT and the N.C. Turnpike Authority could, in theory, add a new general-purpose free lane to the congested stretch of I-77. But they would have to compensate Cintra for lost revenue, and the company could claim hundreds of millions of dollars in payments.
It’s unclear if the project would need to be approved by the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization.
The CRTPO in May rejected the state’s plans to partner with a private company — possibly Cintra — to build and operate toll lanes on I-77 from uptown to the South Carolina line.
Republican lawmakers in Raleigh have passed a provision in the state budget bill that could force Charlotte and other local governments to repay the state for money spent designing the toll lanes; the DOT has put that figure at $64 million.
