Safety concerns force NCDOT to cancel Charlotte community tour of I-77 toll plan
A planned tour of the Charlotte neighborhoods impacted by the divisive Interstate 77 South toll lane project was cancelled Sunday due to safety concerns, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Last week, the agency invited NCDOT Secretary Daniel Johnson, local officials and residents to visit the areas along the uptown portion of I-77 Monday, March 23. For months, residents along that stretch of the project have expressed concerns regarding its design and impact. The tour would show officials where and how the project would affect nearby neighborhoods.
But NCDOT cancelled those plans Sunday due to “potential circumstances that could not be safely accommodated,” according to NCDOT spokeswoman Jen Goodwin.
The agency’s safety plan was based on a “small invited group” and on Sunday the agency received notice that its original plan was “no longer feasible,” Goodwin said.
NCDOT did not make clear what the safety concerns were that led to the cancellation. It’s also unclear if another tour will be scheduled. WFAE first reported the tour cancellation.
But the tour was supposed to be part of NCDOT’s extended engagement initiative for the toll project. Part of the initiative includes opening a community engagement center to hear more from residents, a transparency and communication issue that neighbors and elected officials said the agency needs to address.
Earlier this month, the agency said the center should open in April. A location has not been identified.
What’s the I-77 South toll lane project?
The tour cancellation is just the latest issue for the controversial toll lane project.
NCDOT seeks to add toll lanes to an 11-mile stretch of I-77 between the Brookshire Freeway exit to the South Carolina border. It would be NCDOT’s most expensive project at $3.2 billion. But the project’s design has alarmed residents and environmentalists.
Residents in uptown neighborhoods, including Biddleville, McCrorey Heights, Oaklawn Park, Wesley Heights and Wilmore, have said the project would impact their quality of life and encroach on their neighborhoods.
One plan saw the demolition of homes in the historic neighborhood. And NCDOT’s chosen plan would build an elevated highway in those neighborhoods.
Under the proposed elevated designs, 11 parks and several Charlotte greenways would be harmed, with some losing space and amenities. That includes the removal of Wilmore Park and substantial changes to Third Ward’s Frazier Park.
Residents and some elected officials have called for both pausing or cancelling the project.
Earlier this month, the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg and several residents of McCrorey Heights filed a motion for a temporary restraining order against NCDOT, requesting a halt to the project.
The project will be discussed by Charlotte City Council Wednesday. And the region’s transportation board will also discuss the project Wednesday evening.
The I-77 South toll project is still in the design phase, according to NCDOT.
The agency previously said it would study other options, including an underground section in uptown. The agency also said it was open to what developers may propose, as long as those designs fall within the footprint it has already laid out for elevated lanes.
NCDOT has delayed the project by three months, pushing back its Request for Proposals to June.
