Act now: City Council can still stop toll lanes on I-77 South

Last week, the NCDOT announced it has decided to add toll lanes to I-77 South by building them above the existing highway near Uptown and widening the freeway through neighborhoods south of Uptown all the way to the South Carolina border.

Near Uptown, this would mean constructing a massive elevated concrete structure above a highway that already separates our historic Black neighborhoods from the city center. Farther south, it would mean widening an already divisive freeway, expanding the concrete barrier that cuts through communities, and leveling more homes in its path.

Together, this plan would deepen the physical, environmental, and social damage caused by I-77 — creating a towering concrete wall in the heart of the city and a wider concrete moat through the neighborhoods beyond.

City Council can still stop this.

And hearing directly from you right now will make the difference.

 

Why toll lanes are the wrong approach

Adding toll lanes will:

• Attract more cars, not fewer
• Increase air, climate, and noise pollution
• Divide neighborhoods and worsen health impacts
• Create lanes that only the wealthiest drivers can afford

We have already seen this on I-77 North, where high-priced toll lanes sit alongside congested general lanes, leaving most commuters stuck in traffic while paying the price.

What works instead

Cities across the country are choosing a different path.

Public transit investments reduce the number of cars on the road, not add to them.
They move more people using less space, cut pollution, improve safety, and are affordable and accessible to everyone — not just those who can pay tolls.

Communities along I-77 South asked for public transit solutions and community-repair options, including capping the most harmful segments of the highway.

Those alternatives were never seriously studied.

City Council must act now

Charlotte City Council is the decision-maker that can change the course of this project.

If Council publicly votes to oppose toll lanes on I-77 South and directs the City’s representative to the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization to call for a vote, this project can be paused and re-evaluated.

That window will not stay open for long.

Take action

Tell Charlotte City Council to:

• Vote to pause further advancement of toll lanes on I-77 South
• Pursue public transit solutions that reduce traffic, pollution, and harm

 Click below to email City Council.

The message is already written — all you need to do is send it.

 

Want more detail on how NCDOT dismissed community input and advanced a damaging double-decker design anyway?

Read our full statement.

Thank you for standing with us.

Together, we can stop this— but we must speak now.

With liberty and justice for all,

Shannon Binns
Founder and Executive Director
Sustain Charlotte