State transportation officials have reopened a community engagement center as they move forward with the rebooted Interstate 77 South toll lanes project.
The center is on West Morehead Street next to the interstate. That's where it was before the project was derailed for four months. The $4.3 billion project has faced backlash because it would carve into historically Black neighborhoods near uptown. Opponents also argue that toll lanes won't ease traffic on the 11-mile stretch of I-77 from uptown to the South Carolina line — one of North Carolina's most congested highways.
Charlotte City Council blocked the project earlier this year before reversing course.
But the state has also promised $300 million for parks, grocery stores and other benefits in west Charlotte, as well as a cap over part of the interstate. City Council member Malcolm Graham attended the center’s reopening Friday.
"No one’s going to be happy. I’m not happy as a council member," Graham said. "We have to work together to build trust. We have to work to build confidence in the decisions we make along the way, and we have to bring people along — even those who disagree about what we’re doing."
The Charlotte City Council, then the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization, rejected the toll lanes project in May. They reversed course in September after the N.C. Department of Transportation promised the $300 million in community benefits, which also include a cap over part of the highway. The state also threatened to make local governments repay nearly $70 million in design costs.
State Transportation Secretary Daniel Johnson invited residents to visit the center, meet project leaders and learn about the community investments: "Part of my goal is to exceed the expectations of those who support the project, and hopefully, those who are skeptical, my goal is to prove to them — like, no. These are real investments that we’re going to make."
On Thursday, Mayor Rob Harrington said he's planning a new Interstate 77 toll lanes working group to guide the spending and make sure the DOT fulfills its promises. The department expects to finish the project sometime in the coming decade.
