I-77 Toll Lanes

As plans for adding lanes to Interstate 77 south of uptown Charlotte get delayed, costs are surging past $3 billion.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation said Wednesday night that it won’t move forward with a proposal from the Spanish company Cintra to build and manage toll lanes on Interstate 77 in south Charlotte.

Charlotte and its surrounding municipalities are fighting about how the votes are counted on CRTPO, the federally required group that helps decide how and when roads are built in three counties — Iredell, Mecklenburg and Union.

Charlotte-area transportation planners voted Wednesday to study whether it makes sense to partner with a private company to build toll lanes on Interstate 77 from uptown to the South Carolina state line.

Mecklenburg County Commissioner Pat Cotham is one of the most vocal critics of the Interstate 77 express toll lanes in north Mecklenburg County. She's no longer on the governing board that will decide on tolls.

The project would take drivers from the Brookshire Freeway all the way to the South Carolina state line for a cost. But representatives cite a previous private express lane as a cause of concern.

The Interstate 77 toll lanes generated $11.5 million in revenue n the fourth quarter of 2021.

A Charlotte construction company is suing developers of the I-77 toll lanes, saying it's owed $47.7 million for paving and other work.

Some larger vehicles will be allowed to use the toll lanes on I-77 beginning Monday. North Carolina Department of Transportation and toll-lane operator I-77 Mobility Partners said the lanes will now be open to two-axle trucks and vehicles pulling one-axle trailers.

The contractor building the I-77 toll lanes north of Charlotte has completed work on the second of three sections, and is finishing work on the third.