State warns I-77 toll project would lose funding if support is withdrawn
>In a letter sent to Lyles on May 15, Johnson said federal law would require the NCDOT to remove the I-77 project from the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program if local backing is pulled. The roughly $600 million set aside for the project would then be redirected to other transportation priorities.
>Johnson wrote that local transportation leaders could pursue a different version of an I-77 project. However, he cautioned that the state would have to restart the yearslong planning and environmental review process. A reworked project could still be eligible for state funding, he said.
>Meanwhile, Charlotte City Council member Ed Driggs, who supports the toll lanes, told WCNC that “conversations are ongoing” to persuade one council member to change their vote and reverse last week’s decision.