NCDOT analysis: Private company may be needed to deliver I-77 toll project

The fight over toll lanes is back in the spotlight.

For years, we’ve reported a proposal that’s in the works to build toll lanes on Interstate 77 from the Brookshire to the South Carolina border.

Now, the North Carolina Department of Transportation is pushing local leaders to make a deal.

The issue here is timing; if they wait, building the lanes is going to cost a lot more and they’ll take longer to be built. So transportation leaders are once again asking elected officials to consider letting a private company build a toll lane project on I-77.

READ MORE:

• Charlotte-area leaders discuss I-77 toll lanes to South Carolina
• Proposal submitted to state for express lanes on I-77 south of Charlotte
• NCDOT signs contract for I77 toll lane project

The state estimates it will cost about $3.7 billion for this project. They said each year of delay, it will cost another $100 million because of inflation.

I-77, of course, already has toll lanes from Uptown to Mooresville. Those lanes are managed by I-77 Mobility Partners, a private company that keeps all of the toll profits.

NCDOT said that this type of partnership makes the project more financially feasible.

You might remember in 2022, I-77 Mobility Partners put forward an unsolicited bid to build the lanes. That didn’t go anywhere.

Mecklenburg County Commissioners aren’t happy about the NCDOT’s recommendation about having a private company do it.

“This is like reliving a nightmare,” said Commissioner Pat Cotham, D-At large.

“The people that will benefit will be the people that can afford it and that is always the problem in Mecklenburg County,” said Commissioner Laura Meier, D-District 5.

They’re not happy because of the rollout of the private toll lanes from Uptown to Mooresville. They can be costly and provide traffic relief to people who can afford them.

North Carolina law will only allow the state to spend $600 million, so there would be a significant funding need even if it was a state-run toll project.

“We are backed into a corner with terrible choices,” said Susan Rodriguez-McDowell, D-District 6. “This seems to be a recurring theme.”

CRTPO, a group of elected officials from the surrounding towns and counties, will decide whether to create a sub-committee to craft what they want to see from bids.

NCDOT says many lessons have been learned from the original I-77 tolls project while elected leaders are skeptical of another toll project.

The state said adding lanes with no tolls to the interstate won’t provide long-term relief. As traffic continues to grow, the new lanes will return to the same congestion level as before due to induced demand.

(WATCH BELOW: Charlotte-area leaders receive update on proposed toll lanes in south Charlotte)