Charlotte area transit board kills support for I-77 tolls. Project left in limbo
After several hours, the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization voted Wednesday night to cancel the funding agreement for the Interstate 77 South toll lane project.
In a weighted vote, where Charlotte represents a large majority, CRTPO no longer supports the controversial public-private partnership funding mechanism for the $3.2 billion toll lane project.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation committed $600 million to the project. Without the funding agreement, NCDOT has previously said there’s no other financially feasible alternative. With the funding rescinded, the project is at an impasse and its future remains uncertain.
To address congestion and crashes on I-77, the project would have added toll lanes to an 11-mile stretch of the interstate from uptown to the South Carolina border.
The project has been in the works since 2007. And the funding agreement was approved in 2024.
But in November, when NCDOT released the designs for the project, support for the project changed. Especially from residents who learned their homes would be impacted by the project.
Last week, Charlotte City Council voted to cancel its support of the funding. And that vote prompted Wednesday’s vote from CRTPO.
I-77 motions and questions at Charlotte regional meeting
The I-77 project was not on CRTPO’s Wednesday night agenda. But at the beginning of the meeting, John Higdon, CRTPO member and the mayor of Matthews, made a motion to discuss the toll lane project and possibly vote on rescinding the funding agreement.
Members spoke for at least three hours on the project. There were two major concerns: lack of notice on the vote and what would happen if the board revoked the funding agreement.
Councilman David Jones from Statesville said he didn’t have enough time to discuss the matter with his constituents and fellow council members. He said voting to revoke the funding would be a disservice to members of the community.
CRTPO Chair and Stallings Mayor Pro Tem Brad Richardson agreed. He called the move poor public policy.
Mineral Springs Mayor Rick Becker cautioned the board about repercussions the state legislature might take if the funding was rescinded.
Richardson made a substitute motion that superseded Higdon’s motion to place a longer discussion on CRTPO’s agenda in June and to vote on the funding agreement in July. That did not pass.
This is a developing story
This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 9:07 PM.
