I-77 toll lane town hall erupts as residents force early end to heated meeting

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is advancing an elevated design for the I-77 South Express Lanes project after a yearlong community engagement effort that reached nearly 2,000 people.The elevated express lanes design option in the uptown area will construct express lanes over the existing interstate or to the side of it, reducing property impacts to the McCrorey Heights and Wesley Heights neighborhoods, minimizing effects on Frazier Park, and avoiding impacts to Pinewood Cemetery, according to NCDOT.The project would add express toll lanes along about 11 miles of I-77 from Uptown Charlotte to South Carolina. But some tempers are still hot after a discussion on road projects on Feb. 5, 2026. Charlotte city councilman Malcom Graham wrapped up a town hall, which included the highly debated proposal.While the meeting was supposed to provide more answers, that did not go according to plan.The conversation got so heated that Graham had to end the meeting early. People who came out said they felt like their voices were not heard.“As a resident of Charlotte, we should not have to take this,” said one resident.Even after the meeting ended early at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, that didn’t stop Charlotte residents from remaining vocal with their pushback, especially because of possible impacts in historically African-American neighborhoods.“Make no mistake, families will still lose their homes, communities will still be torn apart, even if there is reduction; building upward doesn’t erase the impact,” said Charlotte resident Taylor Marshall.The crowd got louder after the meeting ended.Read more: https://www.wcnc.com/article/traffic/ncdot-77-south-express-lanes-design-2-4-2026/275-1b54e65c-acdb-4c52-b048-6ebb6865b974WCNC Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with news that impacts you from the team at WCNC Charlotte.  SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Pandora || TuneIn || Google Podcasts || iHeartAll of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.