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...
4 comments
Read more

Massena Center Suspension Bridge

By
The Massena Center Bridge, also known as the Holton D. Robinson Bridge, has had quite the tumultuous history. Situated on the Grasse River just east of Massena, New York in the hamlet of Massena Center, the Massena Center Bridge is a reminder of the efforts the community has made in order to connect over the river. The first and only other known bridge to be built at Massena Center was built in 1832, but that bridge was never long for this world. During the spring of 1833, the Grasse River dammed itself due to an ice dam, flooded and lifted the bridge off its foundation, destroying the bridge in the process.  The floods were frequent in the river during the spring, often backing up the river from Hogansburg and past Massena Center, but not to nearby Massena. After the first bridge disappeared, local residents had to resort to traveling seven miles west to Massena to cross the next closest bridge, and that was no easy task for a horse and buggy. However, it was many decades befo...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Dead Man's Curve of Interstate 90 and Innerbelt Freeway in Cleveland

By
"Dead Man's Curve" refers to the transition ramp Interstate 90 takes between Cleveland Memorial Shoreway onto the Innerbelt Freeway in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.  Said curve includes a sharp transition between the two freeways which is known for a high rate of accidents.  Currently the curve (not officially named) has a 35 MPH advisory speed and numerous safety features intended to mitigate crashes.  When the Interstate System was first conceived during 1956, Interstate 90 was intended to use the entirety Cleveland Memorial Shoreway and connect to the Northwest Freeway through Lakewood.  The Innerbelt Freeway was initially planned as the northernmost segment of Interstate 71.  The extension of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway west of Edgewater Park was never constructed which led to Interstate 90 being routed through the Innerbelt Freeway.   Part 1; the history of Cleveland's Innerbelt Freeway and Deadman's Curve The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 was signe...
Post a Comment
Read more