NCDOT will be adding 2 lanes in each direction of I-77 between the South Carolina state line and Brookshire Freeway near Uptown.
The project will increase the interstate from 6 lanes to 10 lanes along the route.
The state had wanted to start the project in 2027, but due to recent budget constraints, the new 9.6-mile $1.23 billion project is now slated to start in 2029.
The timing was a factor of NCDOT’s new project ranking system.
According to North Carolina’s State Transportation Improvement Program:
“Strategic prioritization uses transportation data and the input of local government partners and the public to generate scores and rankings of projects across the state. Multiple
public input opportunities were provided during the spring and summer of 2016 regarding the submittal of new projects and the assignment of local points to projects. This input
assisted each Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and Rural Planning Organization (RPO) and NCDOT’s transportation divisions to produce criteria-based methodologies
which directed how local points were allocated.”
What do you think about the new widening project?