Charlotte City Council voted 7-4 on Monday, Sept. 21, to restore support for the I-77 South toll lane project. The reversal clears the way for toll lanes along an 11-mile stretch of I-77 running through the Ballantyne corridor to the South Carolina border.

District 7 Councilmember Ed Driggs, whose district covers Ballantyne, voted yes. He will represent Charlotte at the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO) board meeting Wednesday, Sept. 23, and cast the city's weighted vote in favor of the project, Axios Charlotte reported.

The vote reversed a 6-5 decision in May, when the council rescinded its support. Two council members flipped: Malcolm Graham and Joi Mayo, both of whom voted to rescind in May, switched to yes, according to WBTV.

Voting yes alongside Driggs, Graham and Mayo were Dimple Ajmera, James Mitchell, Dante Anderson and Kimberly Owens. Renee Perkins Johnson, JD Mazuera Arias, LaWana Mayfield and Victoria Watlington voted no, WCCB reported.

State lawmakers had pressured the council to reverse course. A state budget provision passed in July allowed NCDOT to recover project costs from cities that rescinded support. Charlotte faced a potential repayment of $59 million to $69 million, according to Spectrum News. Chief Financial Officer Matt Hastedt said the repayment "would require us to raise property taxes in perpetuity, starting with the FY 2028 budget, approximately 0.1 penny."

Graham, who represents District 2, said the $300 million community benefits commitment from NCDOT helped change his mind. "The $300 million or more will be paid at closing," Graham said, according to WBTV. "It will be earmarked specifically for west Charlotte … It means homeowners are protected."

NCDOT Secretary Daniel Johnson outlined the benefits in a July letter. They could include grocery stores in food deserts on Charlotte's west side, green space, bike lanes and resources for residents displaced by construction. The state planned to formalize the commitment in a binding memorandum of agreement on Tuesday, Sept. 22, the Charlotte Observer reported.

The project, in development since 2014, is estimated to cost between $3.2 billion and $4 billion. A private company, not yet selected, would shoulder most of the cost. Four firms are shortlisted for the construction contract, according to the Observer.

Speakers opposing the toll lanes outnumbered supporters two-to-one during public comments, the Observer reported. After the vote, a "No More Tolls!" chant erupted in the packed chamber. Mayor Robert Harrington had security escort several people out and threatened to clear the room, according to WCCB.

Driggs, who also chairs the council's Transportation, Planning and Development Committee, said at a Sept. 15 council briefing that he saw the project as essential. "I think the need to do something along that corridor is critical," he told Spectrum News.

As we reported Friday, Sept. 18, the council faced the vote under threat of the multimillion-dollar penalty. The CRTPO holds its vote Wednesday, Sept. 23. Charlotte controls the largest share of the board's weighted votes, though sources differ on the exact percentage.