Charlotte Didn’t Lose Transportation Funding. It Saved Taxpayers and Drivers Billions.

CHARLOTTE – Recent statements from NCDOT have created the impression that the Charlotte region permanently “lost” $700 million in transportation funding following last week’s CRTPO vote on I-77 South. But that is simply not how transportation funding works in North Carolina.

NCDOT is obligated to prioritize taxpayer dollars where they deliver the greatest public benefit, and the state reprioritizes transportation projects every two years through a statewide scoring process. Like every other region in North Carolina, Charlotte-area MPOs can continue submitting projects for funding in future cycles, including projects focused on improving mobility and safety in the I-77 corridor.

There is no doubt that I-77 South has real transportation needs. Last week’s CRTPO vote was about whether this particular project — a massively expensive toll lane megaproject with decades of private toll collection — was the right solution.

The funding in question was tied specifically to a proposal to widen I-77 South by adding privately operated toll lanes through a public-private partnership (P3). Under that arrangement, the state would have contributed approximately $600 million toward a project estimated to cost more than $4.3 billion, while a private company would finance the remaining cost, operate the toll lanes, set toll prices using dynamic pricing, and collect toll revenue for decades.

“That’s the false choice NCDOT keeps presenting: this project or nothing,” said Shannon Binns, Founder and Executive Director of Sustain Charlotte. “CRTPO rejected that framing. The vote was about taking the time to consider alternatives before locking Charlotte into 50 years of tolls and billions in long-term costs.”

Even by NCDOT’s own estimates, the project’s total transportation benefit — including congestion relief and safety improvements — was roughly $900 million. Meanwhile, the public contribution alone was projected at around $700 million upfront, while the full financing structure would likely have cost drivers and taxpayers many billions of dollars over the life of the concession agreement. Charlotte avoided committing to an extraordinarily expensive project with limited demonstrated benefit.

“Charlotte did not lose transportation funding,” Binns said. “Our region avoided committing hundreds of millions in public funds — and billions more in long-term tolls and financing costs — to a project that would have widened the highway through established neighborhoods while still leaving the corridor heavily congested.”

The proposed widening also would have impacted homes, trees, parks, streams, air quality, noise levels, and community connectivity along the corridor.

Rejecting this project does not mean doing nothing about congestion or safety. It means pursuing better options.

Lower-cost strategies — including express bus service, bus-on-shoulder operations, targeted interchange improvements, and other corridor upgrades — can still compete for state funding and may score more effectively because they deliver mobility improvements at a fraction of the cost and with far less disruption to surrounding communities.

“There’s a better deal out there for the Charlotte region,” Binns said. “The recent CRTPO vote created the opportunity to step back and pursue transportation solutions that are more cost-effective, less destructive, and better aligned with the future our community wants.”

About Sustain Charlotte

Sustain Charlotte is a nonprofit charitable organization that inspires responsible growth and transportation choices to help create a more equitable, connected, and healthy community.