I-77 toll lanes builder faces more than $47 million in liens, court records show
The company that built, financed and manages the Interstate 77 toll lanes from Charlotte to Mooresville faces more than $47 million in liens by a Charlotte contractor that helped with the project, court records show.
Blythe Development and its Blythe Brothers Asphalt said I-77 Mobility Partners owes them the money for bridge, grading, asphalt and stone work along the 26 miles of lanes, according to court filings in Iredell and Mecklenburg counties.
Luke Blythe, vice president of operations for Blythe Development, said no one from the company could comment “during an active legal dispute.”
Jean Leier, spokeswoman for I-77 Mobility Partners, also said she couldn’t comment “on this ongoing legal matter.”
I-77 Mobility Partners is a subsidiary of Spain-based Cintra and developed the toll or “express” lanes as part of a public-private partnership with the N.C. Department of Transportation.
“NCDOT does not comment on legal proceedings between two private companies,” DOT spokeswoman Jen Thompson said of the liens.
Asked by the Observer if the amount of money involved in the case could hurt the long-term financial prospects of the toll-lanes company, Thompson said “the N.C. Turnpike Authority is not concerned with the project’s financial viability.”
That’s because performance and payment bonds are in place to protect taxpayers regarding the lanes, Thompson said.
After four years of construction and traffic headaches, the final stretch of the toll lanes opened in November 2019.
This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 6:22 PM.