Community Benefits Are Welcome—But They Do Not Fix the Fundamental Problems with the I-77 South Toll Lanes

Charlotte Should Not Have to Choose Between Community Investment and Good Transportation

Secretary Daniel Johnson's July 28 letter represents the most detailed effort to date to address community concerns surrounding the proposed I-77 South Toll Lanes project. It outlines a framework for significant community investments, neighborhood reconnection, workforce development, affordable housing, bicycle and pedestrian improvements, and environmental mitigation should the project move forward.

We welcome many of these proposed investments. Charlotte's historically underserved communities deserve better neighborhood connections, safer streets, affordable housing, improved access to opportunity, and meaningful public investment. Those priorities have broad support and should continue regardless of the outcome of this transportation project.

However, the central question has not changed. The question is not whether community investments are worthwhile.

The question is whether the current I-77 South Toll Lanes proposal is the right transportation project for Charlotte.

We evaluated the proposal using five straightforward principles:

• Does it reduce or avoid unnecessary harm to communities?
• Does it serve the broader public interest?
• Does it advance an equitable and affordable transportation system?
• Does it earn public trust through an open and transparent process?
• Does it leave Charlotte with a better long-term transportation future than the available alternatives?

After carefully reviewing Secretary Johnson's proposal, our conclusion remains unchanged.

The current project still fails those tests.

Secretary Johnson's letter acknowledges that the project will require up to $300 million in community investments to offset its impacts and reconnect neighborhoods affected by Interstate 77. We support those investments. But that raises a more fundamental question: if a transportation project requires hundreds of millions of dollars in mitigation to address its impacts, should Charlotte first ask whether it is the right transportation project in the first place?

Many of the initiatives described in the letter—including neighborhood reconnection, affordable housing partnerships, safer bicycle and pedestrian access, workforce development, and investments in grocery access—are worthwhile on their own merits. They should not depend upon the construction of this particular toll lane project.

At the same time, the transportation proposal itself has not fundamentally changed.

Permanent toll lanes remain. The elevated highway design remains. The long-term transportation policy questions remain.

While the Secretary's letter provides considerably more detail about NCDOT's intentions, it also makes clear that many elements of the proposed community benefits framework would continue to be developed through future procurement, negotiations, and project refinement should the project move forward.

We are also concerned about the process. After the Charlotte City Council and the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization voted to withdraw support for the project following months of public engagement, NCDOT continued developing these proposals through meetings with a limited group of invited stakeholders before presenting them publicly.

Meaningful community engagement is essential. But when elected bodies have already reached a decision after extensive public input, efforts to reverse that decision should occur through an open public process—not through private meetings with selected participants.

Charlotte deserves an open conversation about the future of transportation that includes all affected communities and respects the role of the region's elected representatives. Ultimately, this debate should not be about choosing between community investment and good transportation. Charlotte deserves both.

Our neighborhoods deserve long-overdue investments because those investments are the right thing to do—not because they are tied to approval of a particular highway project.

At the same time, Charlotte deserves transportation infrastructure that improves mobility, protects neighborhoods, remains affordable for future generations, and earns the public's trust.

Those goals should go hand in hand.

For these reasons, Action NC, the McCrorey Heights Neighborhood Association, and Sustain Charlotte respectfully urge the Charlotte City Council to uphold its previous decision and continue pursuing transportation solutions that better serve the long-term interests of Charlotte and the region.

Charlotte deserves community investment because communities deserve investment—not because they agree to accept a transportation project many residents and elected leaders have already rejected.

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About Action NC

Action NC is a statewide nonprofit organization that works alongside North Carolina residents to build political power, expand affordable housing opportunities, advance environmental justice, and advocate for equitable public policies through community organizing, leadership development, and policy advocacy.

About McCrorey Heights Neighborhood Association

The McCrorey Heights Neighborhood Association represents one of Charlotte's historic west side neighborhoods and works to preserve, strengthen, and improve quality of life through neighborhood leadership, community engagement, and equitable investment.

About Sustain Charlotte

Sustain Charlotte is a Charlotte-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to create a more equitable, connected, and healthy community by inspiring responsible growth and transportation choices. Founded in 2010, Sustain Charlotte works with residents, businesses, and public officials to advance smart land use, expand safe and affordable transportation options, increase housing affordability, strengthen neighborhood connectivity, and create a more equitable and prosperous Charlotte for everyone.