The North Carolina Department of Transportation is opening a new community engagement center in Charlotte as it tries to rebuild trust around the controversial I-77 South Express Lanes project.
The new center will open Monday, March 30, at 10 a.m. at 1023 W. Morehead Street, Suite 150, inside the project corridor. Mayor Vi Lyles and Charlotte City Council members are expected to attend, and Lyles is set to give welcoming remarks.
The move comes after months of backlash from residents, especially in historically Black neighborhoods along the corridor. Many neighbors have raised concerns about transparency, long-term impacts, and NCDOT’s decision to move forward with the project’s elevated double-decker design.
That design has become the most debated part of the plan. Instead of widening outward in some areas, NCDOT wants to place express lanes above the existing interstate. The agency says that option is the “least impactful” and would better avoid damage to places like Frazier Park, Pinewood Cemetery, and McCrorey Heights.
Still, double-deck highways have a complicated history in the United States. Similar elevated freeway projects once expanded capacity in cities like Houston, Seattle, and San Francisco. However, some later drew criticism over safety, neighborhood damage, and failure to fix congestion long term.
NCDOT says Charlotte’s project is different. Officials say the design is still in an early stage, with engineering only about 10 to 15 percent complete, and they insist community input will continue shaping the final outcome.
The new community engagement center is meant to give residents direct access to project information, staff, and decision-makers. The site will host community events, provide milestone updates, and offer general information. Appointments can be scheduled online here or by phone at 1-800-254-0498. Residents can also stop in without an appointment.
The center’s regular hours will be:
- Monday through Friday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Saturday: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Sunday: Closed
For Charlotte, the new center signals that NCDOT knows this project cannot move forward quietly.
