CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Elected leaders have tried resolutions and legislative bills to stop a toll lane project on Interstate 77 but none of those efforts have worked.
Now, they are challenging the project again ahead of a crucial vote.
In two weeks, a board of local leaders with the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization will vote on a 10-year transportation plan to improve roads across the region. It includes plans to put toll lanes on Interstate 485, U.S. Highway 74 and Interstate 77.
Current members have said they are following the direction of a past CRTPO board that approved toll lanes coming to Charlotte.
Now, several elected officials want new members to change their minds going as far as forcing no votes and attempting to redirect money.
Mecklenburg County Commissioners made sure the controversial plan to put tolls on I-77 no longer gets their vote by passing a policy that requires the county's delegate votes as the board directs the delegate.
Back in June, the Board of Mecklenburg County Commissioners voted 8 to 1 supporting a resolution to call for the North Carolina Department of Transportation Gov. Pat McCrory to stop a contract with the private company Cintra to build the toll lanes on I-77.
Vice Chair Dumont Clarke is the county's delegate on the CRTPO.
In a 5-4 vote, Clarke was instructed by the board to vote "no" during the Aug 19 CRTPO meeting on the 10-year transportation plan.
"This way he represents us. He doesn't represent himself," said Commissioner Jim Puckett, who proposed the policy.
The approval of the plan is needed to qualify road projects for federal funding, but state Rep. John Bradford from Cornelius is trying to keep state dollars from going to the project.
He's proposed an amendment to a bill to use bond money to cancel the I-77 toll lane contract and put the rest toward free lanes.
"There's no secret in Raleigh about this particular project and I expect to get some support out of this," said Bradford.
Huntersville driver Dee Dee Sutton said she won't pay the tolls and wants her elected leaders to stop them from coming.
"I'm glad that my representatives are stepping up to do something about this because I feel like we were hoodwinked," said Sutton.
NCDOT has said voting against or changing the 10-year transportation plan could have a domino effect, causing other projects in the area to be at risk.
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