I-77 toll contract details help for impacted neighbors 

HERBERT L. WHITE | THE CHARLOTTE POST

The agreement struck between North Carolina Department of Transportation and the city of Charlotte includes at least $300 million in community benefits to neighborhoods impacted by I-77 South toll lane construction.

Neighborhood investments and anti-displacement initiatives highlight the community benefits commitments for development of the I-77 South toll lane project.

But the deal struck between the city of Charlotte and North Carolina Department of Transportation that commits the state to specific projects at a cost of at least $300 million. The agreement signed by Charlotte Regional Transportation Organization and NCDOT became official after Charlotte Council voted 7-4 to cooperate on a $3.2 billion public-private partnership to build toll lanes from Center City to the South Carolina border.

After voting in May to rescind its support, council flipped on recission with Malcom Graham and Joi Mayo jumping from opponents to supporters in last week’s vote. Some council members suggested the panel was boxed in by a “poison pill” provision enacted in the state budget that threatened municipalities opposing road programs with sanctions that include repaying the state for initial work and loss of state and federal funding. The state reported a tab of more than $69 million for preliminary work on the toll project.

“The project offers an opportunity to meaningfully invest in the community, not just address congestion,” Transportation Secretary Daniel Johnson wrote to city leaders on July 28. “It presents the opportunity to contract with local and small businesses, with priority access to business along the corridor. This project has the potential to deliver several hundred million dollars to small businesses and support approximately 5,700 jobs each year of construction, according to a study conducted by NC State University.”

Included in the memorandum of understanding between the city and NCDOT includes a commitment to “Local hiring, workforce development, and apprenticeship programs, including targeting opportunities for City residents and disadvantaged and small business enterprises.”

That pledge was struck at the same time the state budget wiped out the Historically Underutilized Business Office, in which the Republican-authored law followed Trump administration rollbacks of initiatives designed to close disparities in business opportunities in communities of color. Who’ll be responsible for keeping track of the pledge? Johnson told city leaders NCDOT will prioritize “corridor hiring and workforce development opportunities into project delivery where appropriate. He also said the agency will require “the selected developer in the project contract to meaningfully engage with small businesses, particularly along the corridor.”

NCDOT will pay at least $100 million in supplemental transportation funding for Mecklenburg County exclusively in addition to the baseline investment reserved for “neighborhoods affected by the construction, operation, and historical impacts of highway infrastructure within the I-77 South corridor.” Among the projects described in the contract are:

• $150 million for “cap and stitch” programs, landscaped decks (caps) and widened bridges (stitches) over highways that reconnect divided neighborhoods.  

• Minimum of $50 million or 33% of the community benefits for a regional recreation center in the Steele Creek and Nations Ford Road neighborhoods.

• $35 million in program investments in housing stability, small business and economic mobility. 

• $20 million for neighborhood facilities that address food insecurity on the West Trade Street/Beatties Ford Road and West Boulevard corridors. 

• $15 million for environmental improvements.

• $10 million for food insecurity and wellness programs along the Statesville Avenue corridor.

• $20 million for quality-of-life improvements, including a civic center in the construction corridor’s impact zone.

The toll project is moving forward, but Johnson admits NCDOT will need to be more open as it moves from planning to construction. Engagement and recognizing community priorities are part of the pledge.
“I recognize we must continue our work to earn the community’s trust,” he said. “I am committed to working with local leaders to set up a transparent process that builds lasting public confidence and serves as a model for future projects.”

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