A version of the following article appeared in the June 8, 2026, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
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Plans for toll lanes on Independence Boulevard are still moving forward; seen as less objectionable than I-77
by Tony Mecia
By now, you probably know that local politicians rejected the proposed toll lanes on I-77 south of uptown.
But what about the ones planned on Independence Boulevard?
You might be surprised to learn that I-77 is not the only road in the Charlotte region for which the N.C. Department of Transportation has been planning toll lanes — in addition to those already on I-77 north of uptown, I-485 in south Mecklenburg and the Monroe Expressway.
The state’s road-planning documents show NCDOT is planning to convert the bus lanes on a six-mile stretch between I-277 and Margaret Wallace Road to toll lanes, with construction expected to start in 2033. It’s estimated to cost about $355M. Express bus service in those lanes started in 1998, and transportation officials have been studying converting them to toll lanes since around 2007, according to NCDOT’s online history of the project.
A rendering from a public meeting in 2020 shows toll lanes on Independence Boulevard in the middle of the regular lanes. At the time, it was thought construction could begin as early as 2024, but the date has been pushed back to 2033. (From NCDOT public meeting materials)
NCDOT is also planning to add toll lanes to a five-mile stretch from Margaret Wallace to I-485 in Matthews, but there’s no estimate on timing for that portion.
Like the I-77 lanes, which the Charlotte City Council and a regional transportation planning body rejected last month, information on those projects has been available for years, and local officials have signed off on the idea.
Some of the local officials who led the charge against the I-77 toll lanes say they’re not inclined to try to stop toll lanes planned for Independence.
“I’m not a fan of tolls, period,” said Matthews Mayor John Higdon. “But at least this will be much more reasonable and could provide some congestion relief.”
Unlike the I-77 lanes, which are run by an outside company, the Independence lanes would be run by NCDOT, just like those on I-485 and the Monroe Expressway. The tolls on state-run toll lanes are less expensive than those that are privately operated. Traveling the full 18 miles of the state-run Monroe Expressway costs a set fee of $2.96 (with an NC Quick Pass). The 26 miles of I-77 toll lanes to north Mecklenburg have variable pricing that can be as much as $70.
Higdon says he has no plans to try to remove Independence tolls from state planning documents, as the regional panel indicated it would do with I-77 lanes.