North Carolina Construction News staff writer
The North Carolina Department of Transportation has opened a community engagement centre to support public input on the I-77 South Express Lanes project, a multibillion-dollar initiative to upgrade a key transportation corridor in Mecklenburg County.
The centre, which opened March 30 at 1023 W. Morehead St., Suite 150, will serve as a hub for residents to access project information, meet with staff and provide feedback as planning and development advance.
“The Community Engagement Center is meant to be a place where we can listen, learn and lead together,” said Daniel Johnson. “We recognize the importance of understanding both the urgent transportation needs of this corridor and the lived experiences of the communities along it.”
Planning is underway to upgrade approximately 11 miles of I-77 from the South Carolina state line to I-277/N.C. 16 (Brookshire Freeway). The project carries an estimated cost of $3.2 billion, including up to $600 million in state funding.
Proposed improvements include the addition of express lanes, reconstruction of interchanges and bridges, and new access points and direct connectors to the managed lanes.
The project was requested by the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization and submitted to NCDOT for prioritization in 2014, as required under North Carolina law governing toll projects. It is now included in the state’s 2026–2035 transportation improvement plan.
I-77 is one of the most heavily travelled corridors in the region, serving as a primary north-south route through Charlotte and a key link for the movement of people and goods across central and western North Carolina and the southeastern United States. Locally, it provides direct access to Uptown Charlotte for residents and businesses.
Current traffic conditions can see travel times along the corridor range from about 10 minutes to nearly an hour, depending on time of day and direction. NCDOT says the project is intended to manage congestion and provide more reliable travel times through the addition of managed lanes, consistent with regional transportation plans.
The corridor also faces safety challenges, with a crash rate nearly three times higher than the statewide average for urban interstates, averaging about five crashes per day and five fatalities annually.
The project remains in the procurement phase, with design work about 10 to 15 per cent complete. Officials say preliminary plans will continue to evolve as public input is gathered and efforts are made to minimize impacts and maximize community benefits.
Early designs indicate that historic Black communities, including McCrorey Heights, Biddleville, Lincoln Heights and the West End, are not expected to face displacement. North of the John Belk Freeway, no residential displacement is anticipated.
NCDOT said it will work with any potentially affected residents through its right-of-way process, offering relocation assistance and ensuring protections under federal law.