Davidson commissioners discussed Tuesday whether to change their vote and back the controversial Interstate 77 toll lanes again. The town could be penalized $1.5 million if it doesn’t.
Commissioners don’t like the I-77 toll lanes that already run through their town. In a show of support to Charlotte, they voted in May against building 11 more miles of toll lanes from uptown to the South Carolina line.
But Republican lawmakers want the controversial $4 billion project to move forward. They've passed legislation that would require local governments that vote against the toll lanes to pay a portion of the $69 million in design costs already spent.
Commissioner Ryan Fay said Davidson is being bullied.
“To me, that is government coercion,” he said. “It is political coercion, and it is financial coercion.”
Fay and others — including Mayor Rusty Knox — said they don’t want to support the project but have to consider the impact of the fine on a town with only 16,000 people.
Commissioners will take a formal vote September 22. That will direct their representative on the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization how to vote a day later.
Davidson and Matthews are part of a four-government coalition against the toll lanes. If the four continue to oppose the project, the toll lanes won’t move forward.
Matthews Mayor John Higdon has called on the city of Charlotte to pay the town’s fine to ease the burden on the municipality. It’s unclear if Charlotte City Council will consider that.
Cornelius and Monroe have already announced they will switch their vote on the toll lanes from no to yes.
