CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte City Council member Malcolm Graham said Tuesday that residents will help steer community benefits tied to the I-77 South toll expansion, including a working group that will sit with the city and the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Speaking at his quarterly press briefing in Charlotte, Graham said the council is working to establish a working group of citizens to work alongside the city of Charlotte as well as the DOT on the benefits portion of the agreement, and to help select a developer tied to the highway package. He framed the amenities as N.C. Department of Transportation-funded community investments beyond the roadway itself.
City Council voted Sept. 21 to re-instate support for the project, which was then approved by the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization two days later. The public-private partnership model will allow for up to $300 million in additional community investment beyond transportation improvements.
I-77 is the primary north-south interstate through Uptown Charlotte, running from Uptown toward the South Carolina line. Charlotte position at the I-77/I-85 interchange also makes the region a major East Coast distribution and warehousing hub, with large logistics parks in the Steele Creek, Concord and Kannapolis areas, so the toll expansion and its benefits package sit at the center of both commute and freight traffic.
Graham also touched on the November election and the American Airlines airport lease during the same briefing, but he spent significant time on the I-77 South benefits track and how Charlotte residents will be pulled into choosing amenities and a developer partner as the project moves forward.
