Skip to main content

More Toll Lanes in Charlotte? Maybe, Possibly, Who Knows?

Image
By
Is a possible extension of the I-77 Express Toll Lanes in Charlotte in the works?

Could more toll lanes be on the way for commuters in Charlotte?  It's certainly possible.  

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) recently received a bid from a yet-to-be-named company proposing to extend the I-77 toll lanes southwards.  This extension would run from where the toll lanes currently end at the Brookshire Freeway (NC 16/US 277) to the South Carolina State Line.

There are not a lot of details about the proposal - from the possible cost, design, and who submitted the proposal.  NCDOT received the proposal unsolicited, and DOT officials shared general details during a meeting of the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO) this past Wednesday.

The plan would be a public-private partnership, but beyond that, not much more is known.  The 14-member CRTPO board voted 8 to 6 in favor of studying the proposal and later recommendations.  They also asked NCDOT to provide more information about this bid.  Currently, there is no programming for the proposed toll lanes.  Further, North Carolina state law would require CRTPO to request and approve the toll lane project before any project programming could begin.

Sources:

Commentary:

Over the last decade, toll toads in Charlotte have been a heated issue.  The I-77 Toll Lane project from Charlotte north to Lake Norman was one of the most controversial and heated local topics.  (One that I wish I could have covered in detail - but kids, grad school, stuff like that.)

The I-77 Toll Lanes was one of the issues that cost Republican NC Governor Pat McCrory his re-election in 2016.  A significant number of Republicans in Northern Mecklenburg County endorsed his challenger, current Governor Roy Cooper, during that election cycle.

Further, delays and mishandling in construction didn't allow for the toll lanes to fully open until 2019.  There were contract disputes, threats to void the contract, and much more! (I'm telling you; I should have paid closer attention to it.)

The unsolicited proposal to NCDOT caused unease with several CRTPO members; however, they all admit that I-77 from Exit 11 (Brookshire/I-277) south to the NC/SC state line needs to be widened/improved in some way.  It is currently a three-lane in each direction freeway that frequently gets clogged. 

At this point, the proposal is just that - a proposal.  However, it's been a rumored possibility for a few years.  Whether or not CRTPO gives the idea its blessing is unknown.  But many community leaders on the CRTPO board still have a bad taste in their mouths after Northern Mecklenburg's toll experience.  As a result, it may take a whole lot of mouthwash to make these toll lanes a reality.
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
I dont know the mile markers offhand, but a section of that 77 described for possible extension of express lanes I think would be a construction nightmare, roughly from downtown to the Tyvola exit. Its already really narrow down thru there. To Tyvola to the state line not as bad wouldn't take much to widen
5:50 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

By
In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l
3 comments
Read more

Ghost Town Tuesday; Mannfield, FL and the stairway to Hell

By
Back in 2015 I went searching the Lecanto Sand Hills for the original Citrus County Seat known as Mannfield.  Unlike Centrailia in Hernando County and Fivay in Pasco County I did find something worth seeing. Mannfield is located in the Lecanto Sand Hill section of Withlacoochee State Forest somewhat east of the intersection of Citrus County Route 491 and Mansfield Road. Mannfield was named after Austin Mann and founded in Hernando County in 1884 before Citrus County Split away.  In 1887 Citrus County was split from northern Hernando County while Pasco County was spun off to the south.  Mannfield was selected as the new Citrus County seat due to it being near the county geographic center.  Reportedly Mannfield had as many as 250 people when it was the County Seat.  The town included various businesses one might include at the time, even a sawmill which was common for the area.  In 1891 Citrus County voted to move it's seat to Inverness which set the stage for the decline of M
6 comments
Read more

The National Road - Pennsylvania - Great Crossings Bridge and Somerfield

By
West of Addison, US 40 crosses the Youghiogheny River at what once was the town of Somerfield.  When crossing the current modern two lane bridge, you many not realize that it is actually the third to cross the Yough at this site.  The first - a stone arch bridge - was known as the Great Crossings Bridge.  Built in 1818, this three arch bridge was part of the original National Road.  The name Great Crossings comes from the men who forded the Youghiogheny here - George Washington and George Braddock. (1)  If you cross the bridge at the right time, this historic bridge and what was once the town of Somerfield will appear out from underneath this massive man-made lake. Historical Postcard showing the 'Big Crossings' bridge and Somerfield.  Image submitted by Vince Ferrari. The Great Crossings Bridge was located in the town of Somerfield.  Somerfield, originally named Smythfield until 1827, would develop as a result of the National Road. (1)  Somerfield would go through va
Post a Comment
Read more