Sustain Charlotte Statement on NCDOT Letter Regarding I-77 South Toll Lane Project
Statement from Shannon Binns, Founder and Executive Director of Sustain Charlotte, on NCDOT’s May 15 letter regarding the I-77 South Express Lanes project
CHARLOTTE — Secretary Johnson’s letter appears to clarify the consequences of changing course after the I-77 South project was programmed as a toll-backed public-private partnership. We understand that NCDOT advanced the project based on the direction it received from CRTPO and Charlotte City Council in 2024, and that the current funding structure is tied to that specific project delivery model.
But that is exactly why this moment calls for a credible, independent alternatives analysis before the project moves any further. NCDOT is saying the toll-backed P3 is the only financially feasible option under the current funding structure.
That does not mean it is the only responsible solution for Charlotte’s future. It means the public has not yet been given a transparent comparison of alternatives before being asked to accept a decades-long toll lane project.
No one disputes that the I-77 corridor needs major investment. No one disputes that congestion, safety, and reliability must be addressed. The question is whether widening the highway deeper into existing neighborhoods and parks — taking more land from communities already shaped by I-77 — while relying on privately operated toll lanes for decades, is the best use of limited public resources.
There are other strategies that deserve serious study and modeling.
These include fast, frequent, reliable bus service in the corridor; dedicated bus lanes or shoulder-running transit that can bypass peak-hour congestion; improved park-and-ride access for commuters traveling into Charlotte from surrounding communities; express bus service that connects major employment centers; better connections to local transit, walking, and biking networks; targeted interchange and safety improvements; improved incident management; employer-based commute programs; repair of the neighborhood connections damaged by the original construction of I-77; and evaluating whether I-485 could be better designated, signed, and managed as the preferred bypass route for through traffic traveling around Charlotte.
A fast, reliable transit option may be one of the most effective ways to reduce peak-hour congestion in this corridor. Much of the morning and afternoon traffic on I-77 is made up of commuters traveling from surrounding counties, cities, and towns into Charlotte for work. If those commuters have access to a bus that arrives every 15 to 20 minutes, runs in a dedicated lane or on the shoulder so it can move faster than cars stuck in traffic, and connects conveniently to their final destinations, many will choose it. But it has to be designed correctly, with the full set of elements that make transit useful: speed, frequency, reliability, comfort, safe access, and seamless connections.
NCDOT’s own data also shows that a meaningful share of vehicles on I-77 are traveling through Charlotte between the northern and southern I-485 interchanges without exiting in between. That share is lower during weekday peak periods, but even shifting a portion of through traffic off I-77 and onto I-485 could improve reliability when combined with fast, frequent transit, targeted safety improvements, better incident management, and local street reconnections. That idea has not been publicly discussed in any serious way, much less studied as part of a broader alternatives package.
No single strategy is likely to reduce congestion by itself. But that is precisely why decision-makers should compare a package of alternatives — including transit priority, through-traffic diversion, safety improvements, incident management, demand management, and neighborhood reconnection — against the proposed toll-lane widening project. These options should be studied, modeled, and compared so decision-makers can understand which combination of investments would reduce congestion, improve safety, reconnect communities, and deliver the highest return on investment.
The answer may not be one single megaproject. It may be a smarter package of investments that moves more people, causes less harm, costs less, and delivers more value for Charlotte and the region.
This moment should not be treated as the end of the conversation. It should be treated as the clearest evidence yet that NCDOT and CRTPO need a better process for decisions of this scale — one that gives local elected officials and the public a credible comparison of alternatives before a project is programmed, funded, and allowed to gather so much momentum that changing course is framed as impossible.
In 2024, elected officials on Charlotte City Council and CRTPO largely trusted NCDOT when they were told that toll lanes were the only viable way to improve safety and reduce congestion on I-77 South. They were not presented with a serious comparison of alternatives, and they did not ask for one — in part because many people understandably assume that when highways are congested, the answer is to widen them. But a multibillion-dollar project that will shape Charlotte for generations deserves more than assumptions. It deserves independent analysis, transparent choices, and meaningful public engagement before key decisions are made.
City Council’s vote reflected what thousands of residents have been asking for: pause, study the alternatives, engage the public honestly, and then decide.
That is not opposition to transportation investment. It is responsible planning.
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About Sustain Charlotte
Sustain Charlotte is a nonprofit organization working to create a more equitable, connected, and healthy community by inspiring responsible growth and transportation choices. Founded in 2010, Sustain Charlotte advocates for sustainable land use and transportation policies that help the Charlotte region grow in ways that expand mobility options, improve public health, reduce climate pollution, protect natural resources, and strengthen neighborhoods for all residents.