More toll lanes coming: I-485 starts next summer

While lawmakers urge the state to cancel a contract to build toll lanes on Interstate 77, the N.C. Department of Transportation is preparing for a second toll-lane contract: this time on Interstate 485.

The state said it plans to sign a design/build contract for I-485 toll lanes in July. Construction would begin in early 2017, the department said, and could be done in about two years.

After the $202.9 million contract is awarded, the state would likely pay financial penalties if it backs out of the I-485 toll-lane project. It could have to reimburse the builder for its time designing the project as well as other expenses. That is also the case for the I-77 project.

 

The 18-mile I-485 project will add an express toll lane in each direction from Interstate 77 to U.S. 74. The Transportation Department also plans to extend an exit-only lane from Rea Road to Providence Road.

The I-485 project differs from the I-77 project in a number of ways.

One of the most controversial parts of the I-77 contract is that the toll lanes will be managed by a private company, which will set the toll price.

In addition, the state’s contract with the developer, I-77 Mobility Partners, contains a clause that could require the N.C. DOT to pay the firm compensation if it builds new free lanes on the highway during the next 50 years. That could hinder any future effort to widen I-77.

I-77 Mobility Partners started construction on the I-77 toll lanes Monday.

On I-485, the Transportation Department will own and manage the toll lanes. The state could decide to build additional free lanes and wouldn’t be charged a penalty.

The Transportation Department isn’t using the toll lanes to make money. It believes that having so-called “managed lanes” are the only long-term solution to managing congestion.

The price of the toll would be set based on how many people want to use the lane. The Transportation Department’s goal would be to keep traffic moving at least 45 mph. If traffic in the lane begins to slow, the state would raise the toll to discourage its use.

The Transportation Department also wants to build an express toll lane on U.S. 74, from uptown to Wallace Lane. The toll lane would be built in the median of the highway, where there is a busway today.

That $13.7 million project could be awarded in December 2016.

The Transportation Department also wants to build a new toll road, the Monroe Connector/Bypass, through Union County.

Charlotte City Council member Vi Lyles heads the city’s transportation committee and is the city’s voting member of the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization.

Lyles cast a deciding vote earlier this year in favor of a transportation plan that includes toll lanes on I-77, I-485 and U.S. 74.

She said Monday that she’s inclined to continue supporting I-485 toll lanes. She said the controversy over the I-77 project doesn’t apply to I-485.

“They are different projects,” Lyles said.

The council’s two Republicans, Ed Driggs and Kenny Smith, have said they are concerned about the I-485 toll lane project. Driggs has said he doesn’t think the new toll lane will have a significant impact on traffic congestion, which is heavy on the highway at rush hour.

It’s unclear whether others on council have similar doubts.

In an interview Tuesday, Mayor-elect Jennifer Roberts said she supports the state’s idea of building toll lanes as a way to manage congestion.

She said the N.C. DOT “must be transparent in how the deals are structured.”

It’s not known whether Lyles will continue her role as the city’s key transportation official.

Roberts will assign council members to committees after she is sworn in Dec. 7. She could keep Lyles as head of the transportation committee or bring in another council member.

Roberts said she hasn’t decided whom she will assign to committees.

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 1:00 AM with the headline "More toll lanes coming: I-485 starts next summer."