CHARLOTTE, N.C. — More express lanes could be coming to Interstate 77 in Charlotte.
Wednesday night, Charlotte transportation leaders voted to allow NCDOT to look into an unsolicited proposal to build managed lanes on I-77 from Uptown Charlotte to south Mecklenburg County. It's the first step in moving the potential project forward.
Many are hopeful the future express lanes will help alleviate traffic in the city but some worry about the company behind the wheel of the project.
Cintra, the company behind the I-77 express lanes from I-277 to Mooresville, made an unsolicited proposal in February 2022 to build lanes on I-77 South.
The plan calls for a 9.4-mile stretch of managed lanes on I-77 from I-277 outside of uptown to I-485 near the South Carolina border. The lanes would be in the middle of the highway, and Cintra plans to widen the regular lanes.
Construction would take five years with the goal of starting in mid-2024 if approved.
The board of the Charlotte Region Transportation Planning Organization voted 19-7 Wednesday night to entertain the proposal.
However, board member Mecklenburg County Commissioner Leigh Altman said she doesn’t agree with drivers paying for public roads.
"It offends my sense of basic fairness that some people can whiz by fast in lanes while other people who can't afford to pay are stuck in slower, more congested lanes," Altman said.
The vice president and general manager of Carowinds, Manny Gonzalez, spoke in favor of the project at the board meeting. He said he’s hopeful the express lanes will drive gridlock away from the major tourist attraction.
"Unfortunately, the only thing that is predictable at this point is that there will be heavy traffic, congestion, and often significant delays on I-77," Gonzalez said.
Some elected officials are concerned about letting Cintra do the job based on delays and miscommunication it had while working on the toll lanes north of Uptown years ago.
"We had a bad experience," Charlotte city councilman Edmund Driggs recalled. "I don’t think that the way things happened the last time inspired a desire to kinda go back there and do that again."
Transportation leaders explained the Wednesday night vote doesn’t mean the planning is done or even guarantee that Cintra is doing the job.
Much more research is needed before the project can be put in the fast lane.
Board chair Waxhaw Mayor Ron Pappas said managed lanes are coming to Charlotte regardless — the proposal just speeds up the city’s timeline.
"I believe that tonight’s decision is about taking a step, it’s about whether or not we want to keep open the conversation," Driggs said.
The next step is for NCDOT to conduct an analysis of the proposal. More votes will be needed in the future to move the project forward.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.