CHARLOTTE – The N.C. Department of Transportation and N.C. Turnpike Authority invite the public to learn more about a project in development to improve 11 miles of Interstate 77 from the South Carolina state line to I-277/N.C. 16 (Brookshire Freeway) in uptown Charlotte.
Per state law, toll projects in North Carolina must be approved by the local planning organization. The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO) first submitted this project to NCDOT for prioritization in 2014. This project is listed as ‘I-5718’ in NCDOT’s
2026-2035 State Transportation Improvement Program, or STIP.
In October 2024, CRTPO requested NCDOT move forward with a Public Private Partnership (P3) delivery process and created a working group in partnership with the Department to identify project priorities and develop key contract terms.
Project priorities established by the working group include:
- Optimize utilization of express lanes and general-purpose lanes with toll rate caps
- Encourage a competitive procurement process
- Increase transparency during all project phases
- Provide transit benefits
The purpose of the project is to manage congestion by providing an option for a reliable travel time along I-77 by implementing managed lanes consistent with recommendations from the 2007
Fast Lanes Study and CRTPO’s 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Management Plan, and to improve traffic operations by increasing travel speed and throughput along I-77.
The planned improvements to the I-77 South corridor include:
- Widening 11 miles of I-77 to add two express lanes in each direction
- Building direct connectors to some interchanges
- Rebuilding bridges and interchanges in the project corridor
- Creating access points to enter the express lanes
- Building sidewalks, bike lanes and shared-use paths
Since January, NCDOT has presented information about the I-77 South Express Lanes project at 25 small group meetings in local communities, reaching more than 800 people.
Two public meetings have been scheduled to provide people with an opportunity to learn more about the project development process, speak with members of the project team and submit comments. The same information will be presented at both meetings:
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Wednesday, Nov. 12
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4-7 p.m.
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Innovation Center, Johnson C. Smith University, Room 322
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100 Beatties Ford Road, Charlotte
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Thursday, Nov. 13
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4-7 p.m.
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Silver Mount Baptist Church
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501 W. Arrowood Road, Charlotte
NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled persons who wish to participate in these meetings. Anyone requiring special services should contact
Emily Richards at (919) 707-6014 or edrichards1@ncdot.gov so arrangements can be made.
People who speak Spanish and have a limited ability to read, speak or understand English may receive interpretive services upon request prior to the meeting by calling 1-800-481-6494.