Former City Council members: I-77 isn’t just about toll lanes. It’s about trust.

Charlotte is adding the population of a small city every decade. We cannot pretend our roads and transit will stay the same. Last year’s transit referendum was a big step, but the most impactful projects remain years away. Meanwhile, discussion of widening I-77 toward South Carolina has stretched across generations, leaving residents skeptical that any solution will be fair or timely.

We both agree, our community must acknowledge past harms. Highway projects decades ago displaced Black neighborhoods and divided communities. That history matters, and any new project must avoid repeating it. At the same time, we both agree that for decades the funding and commitments needed to deliver promised transportation improvements haven’t materialized, pushing real solutions further into the future. To its credit, NCDOT appears to be working to make progress while addressing community concerns. That should remain a firm requirement.

Opposition to toll lanes in north Mecklenburg can never be forgotten. Some see them as lanes for the affluent. Others believe taxpayers already send enough money that should be prioritized for mobility instead of relying on new tolls. Many were frustrated that toll pricing was set too high and tied to an international operator. We should all be listening to and learning from these concerns. The undeniable reality is that relying only on existing dollars would delay meaningful improvements for decades.

There is also a broader reality. Adding free lanes often leads to more driving and renewed congestion within a few years due to induced demand. Managed lanes, however, are one of the few tools that can adapt over time. They can become bus rapid transit corridors right away, autonomous vehicle lanes as technology advances, freight priority routes to generate revenue, or emergency evacuation pathways. Charlotte will have one chance each generation to shape major corridors. If we build infrastructure that cannot evolve, we lock in yesterday’s technology for 50 years.

As former members of Charlotte City Council, we are most troubled by the process that brought us here. Neighborhoods felt blindsided. Council members were briefed after key steps, not before. Incremental approvals created the sense of inevitability long before a final vote. Charlotte has seen this pattern before, from transit lines pitched without funding to commuter rail promised without delivering. When process erodes, trust collapses.

From different political philosophies, we still reach the same conclusion. One of us leans heavier toward Charlotte reducing reliance on single-occupancy vehicles and sees increased focus on rail and mass transit as more sustainable and scalable solutions. The other leans more towards taxpayers deserving better use of the dollars they already send to government and believes disruptive technologies like autonomous vehicles hold the key to the ultimate roads-based investments we should be making. Both of us have learned through years of public service that managed lanes can be a pragmatic public/private partnership solution, especially when they also create reliable bus travel and future transportation options.

So, what should happen now?

First, we must rebuild trust in how Charlotte makes big infrastructure decisions. Not specifically for this I-77 project, but across every project for years to come. That means full transparency from the start, independent cost and option reviews, and real engagement with council members and neighborhoods before plans harden. Major projects should never again reach the brink of approval with residents or council members feeling surprised. Clear choices, clear accountability, and clear communication must become the standard.

Second, council should not try to solve this unilaterally. They should formally request Governor Stein engage directly with NCDOT for design alternatives that reduce neighborhood impacts while keeping the project on track. Options like capped segments, targeted tunneling, or revised financing would require state authority and resources. Local delays would almost certainly kill the project. State partnership can improve it without losing it.

Third, we must plan seriously for the transportation future that is already arriving. Managed lanes, transit corridors, and highway investments should be evaluated through the lens of bus rapid transit, freight technology, autonomous vehicles, and data-driven mobility. That requires engaging national experts, universities, and industry leaders now, and making future-ready design a priority rather than an afterthought.

Charlotte deserves infrastructure that earns public trust, solves today’s problems, and prepares us for what comes next. That is not a Republican or Democratic goal. It is simply what a growing city owes its residents.

Democrat Larken Egleston and Republican Tariq Bokhari are former members of Charlotte City Council.

This story was originally published February 23, 2026 at 6:47 AM.