Leaders in Charlotte, N.C. are exploring the possibility of adding toll lanes to Interstate 77 in south Charlotte.
City council members have already approved the next steps. However, the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners voted against the project 4-5 Monday night.
If the board ultimately votes against moving forward with the public-private plan, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) said research and work on the express lanes project would stop.
NCDOT said the reason behind the paid toll lanes is the department cannot afford to pay more than $600 million for the lanes, which come with a price tag of more than $3.7 billion. If transportation officials find a private developer for the job, the state would contribute $600 million and the private company would cover the rest.
Officials told WCNC Charlotte the express lanes would be the most expensive transportation project in state history, partly because every interchange on I-77 between Uptown and South Carolina would need to be rebuilt.
For the last year, financial advisors have been analyzing the best way to move forward with the proposal to build NC Quick Pass lanes between Uptown and the South Carolina border. The options were to use state money or to partner with a private developer.
A few years ago, the developer behind the I-77 express lanes north of Uptown asked to build the southern lanes. However, local leaders previously said if they move forward with the project, they will open the bid to every company that’s qualified.
According to I-77 Mobility Partners, which owns the northern express lanes, about 300,000 drivers use them each month. The company's recent report also says speeds in general lanes have increased 15% since its express lanes were built.
Express lanes on I-485 starting near the South Carolina state line and traveling to Independence Boulevard in Matthews are already under construction.
Source: WCNC.com, WCNews.com
