Making the case for I-77 toll lanes

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by Tony Mecia

Since news leaked out in June that an anonymous company was proposing to build toll lanes on I-77 south of uptown, many of the responses have ranged from “not interested” to “heck no.”

Some people don’t like the idea of toll lanes. Others oppose the idea of a private company running them.

For weeks, the details of the proposal and the identity of the company behind it were shrouded in mystery.

Last week, the N.C. Department of Transportation finally released the actual proposal, which — to almost nobody’s surprise — came from Cintra, the Spanish company that runs the I-77 toll lanes north of uptown. Those have been criticized, too, especially among residents and some political leaders in Mecklenburg’s northern towns.

The identity of the company dominated most of the headlines. But the 20-page proposal is chock-full of what exactly Cintra would do, how much it would cost — and why the company says its plan makes sense.

It’s proposing to build two lanes each direction, at a cost of $2.5 billion, between the S.C. line and I-277 as a means of relieving traffic congestion faster than the N.C. Department of Transportation could do on its own. Existing plans call for the state to build and run toll lanes on that 9.4-mile section, but those wouldn’t be constructed for at least 20 years.

Local transportation planners agreed last week to study the proposal.

At the moment, the real question is not “Should there be toll lanes on I-77?” The more precise question is: “Who should build and run the toll lanes envisioned for I-77: the state or a private company?”

Many people will probably still find the idea of adding toll lanes unconvincing. But let’s look a little closer at some of the arguments Cintra makes.

Some of the highlights:

It’s not Los Angeles-bad, but as far as mysterious Charlotte traffic jams materializing at odd hours go, this stretch of highway is up there.

Cintra, citing figures from transportation data provider INRIX, says that a portion of the southern stretch of I-77 is congested each way at both morning and evening rush hours. In other words, whether you’re on I-77 northbound or southbound at 8 a.m. or 5 p.m. between uptown and the S.C. line, you will hit congestion — with average speeds in some cases dipping to the low-20 mph range.

Cintra says that traffic on the segment has grown by just 0.5% since 2015, which means that it is at capacity.

In a report earlier this year on the I-77 corridor, local transportation planners projected that traffic on I-77 and on adjacent roads is going to get worse — a lot worse.

The report, called the “Beyond 77 Corridor Study,” found — even considering the traffic improvement projects that are on the books — that:

Cintra cited the study and says that travel times will get worse if nothing is done.

Cintra cites NCDOT statistics showing that Charlotte has the most crashes of any city in the state, adding that between 2016 and 2020, there were more than 1,500 crashes on this stretch of I-77.

Adding toll lanes, Cintra says, would “provide safety benefits through a comprehensive set of improvements such as upgrading the existing roadway, safety elements, traffic management devices, separation of traffic and dedicated connections.”

Budgets are tight at NCDOT, which is ordinarily responsible for widening and repairing major roads in the state.

Cintra is proposing to build the extra two toll lanes in each direction and operate them for 50 years. I-77 currently has three free lanes each direction.

The proposal says the cost is estimated at about $2.5 billion — about 2/3 of which would be financed by low-interest federal transportation loans, with the company putting up the rest. The company has worked up a detailed financial analysis, but it has not been publicly released.

Cintra even estimates a “concession payment” of $211 million to the state. So not only would the state not have to put up money to build the lanes, it could pocket that payment and redeploy it to other needs.

Cintra’s proposal says:

This is one of the main selling points that Cintra is pushing. It goes something like this: You can sit in traffic for the next 20+ years while nothing is done. Or you can hire us, and we can get to work.

The proposal estimates that the additional lanes could be up and running as soon as July 2029.

Alternately, existing plans envision the state building and operating toll lanes in the future. The precise timeline is unclear, but local transportation leaders estimate that those toll lanes would not come online until at least 2040 or 2045. In 2014, Charlotte-area transportation planners asked that the state consider toll lanes for this portion of I-77, as a means of speeding up construction.

There are no plans in the works to add free lanes on I-77.

The proposal says:

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To be sure, there are plenty of hurdles — some political, some logistical. The proposal lists 17 risks of the project, from delays in collaborating with government agencies to availability of financing to unforeseen problems with utility relocations.

It says the toll lanes project also faces a public relations challenge — that “several reporters and media outlets in the Charlotte area have not been supportive of toll lanes, even after working with them to provide education and information.”

And then, of course, there is the challenge of getting politicians on board: “We should anticipate this proposed project will also become a political issue,” the proposal says.

Some political leaders, especially those who soured on Cintra’s work on the I-77 northern section, are already weighing in.

At the county commissioners’ meeting on Wednesday night, commissioner Pat Cotham said she opposes Cintra’s participation in building toll lanes. She has been critical of the contract that the state signed for the northern I-77 lanes, which allows the Spanish company to collect money for 50 years.

“I do not think we should have our money go to Spain for 50 years,” Cotham said. She said she favors additional free lanes.

But others say toll lanes are needed, and sooner than later, to relieve worsening traffic congestion.

Davidson Mayor Rusty Knox said: “Our region continues to grow. Our roads continue to clog. The funding model used by the state will never provide the relief we need. We must look at other means and modes of transportation to move people to and through this region.”

Tony Mecia is editor of The Charlotte Ledger.

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