Ballantyne commuters who rely on I-77 South could wait a decade or more for congestion relief if Charlotte City Council doesn't reverse course before an Oct. 5 state deadline.

The council held a public forum Monday, Aug. 24, hearing from supporters and opponents of the $4 billion toll lane project that would add express lanes along the interstate corridor from South Carolina to uptown Charlotte. The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization is scheduled to vote Sept. 23 on whether to restore support for the project or reaffirm its May decision to pull out.

Charlotte holds more than 40% of the weighted vote on the CRTPO, giving it effective veto power over the outcome.

$60 million or more at stake

Under the state budget signed this summer, any municipality that rescinds support must repay its share of approximately $60 million NCDOT has already spent on environmental studies, preliminary engineering and consultant fees since 2014. Unofficial estimates discussed in recent weeks range from $60 million to $80 million, and state transportation officials say they are still processing invoices.

If the CRTPO does not reinstate support by Oct. 5, the project comes off the state's transportation list, potentially delaying it at least a decade, according to the Charlotte Ledger.

Driggs caught between city position and personal support

District 7 City Council member Ed Driggs, who represents Ballantyne and serves as Charlotte's representative on the CRTPO, has been navigating a split between the city's official opposition and his own view that the project's financial incentives are too large to walk away from.

"The position of Charlotte remains unchanged that we are not in support of reinstating the P3 project," Driggs said at the Aug. 19 CRTPO meeting, according to Queen City News.

At the same meeting, Driggs told WFAE he personally hopes the council can find a path forward, citing $300 million in corridor investment and $100 million in bonus funding tied to the project. In a separate Aug. 20 interview with WCNC, he acknowledged the roughly five weeks until the last council meeting before the CRTPO vote makes reversing position "almost impossible."

Supporters and opponents pack forum

At Monday's forum, Robert McCutcheon of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance urged the council to look beyond the political fight, arguing the project could "reduce congestion for hundreds of thousands of people and reconnect communities divided for generations."

Opponents pushed back. Charlotte resident Connie Proctor told the council the $300 million community benefits package cannot offset harm to historically Black west-side neighborhoods, according to WBTV.

Municipalities already flipping

At the Aug. 19 CRTPO meeting, Matthews Mayor John Higdon called the legislature's ultimatum "unconscionable," saying every municipality in Mecklenburg County voted against the project and that the state's compressed timeline makes informed decision-making impossible. Higdon confirmed Matthews plans to vote against the toll lanes at the Sept. 23 meeting.

Several other towns have reversed course to avoid the penalty. Monroe, Statesville and Cornelius have all flipped back to supporting the toll lanes. Cornelius Mayor Denis Bilodeau said at the Aug. 19 meeting that his town faces a $3 million to $3.5 million penalty plus delays to other road projects, calling the repayment demand "an unbudgeted surprise."

What's next

The CRTPO votes Sept. 23. The state's Oct. 5 deadline follows. No Charlotte City Council vote to reverse the city's opposition has been scheduled. Residents can follow the process through the CRTPO at crtpo.org.