I-77 South toll plans include rebuilding 17 bridges with bike and walking lanes
Out of the 22 bridges and overpasses that span the southern half of Interstate 77, at least 17 of them will be replaced as part of the toll lane project. One of them was rebuilt only seven years ago.
But the Charlotte Department of Transportation sees these bridge replacements as an opportunity to expand pedestrian and cyclist access.
On Monday, the Charlotte City Council’s transportation committee listened to updates on the I-77 South toll lane project from CDOT and the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Though the agenda item was cut short due to time, one the updates to the project was on bridge reconstructions.
CDOT explained that the toll lane project would see 17 bridges replaced and while that sounds like a headache for residents, there are benefits to the replacement.
Multimodal improvements from the I-77 South toll lane project
Many of the bridges are on priority corridors or networks, which include the 10-year High Injury Network and the pedestrian, bike and transit priority network and corridor.
Of the 22 bridges, 16 will receive some type of multimodal update and 12 would have street lighting added to them.
For example, the Wilkinson Boulevard ramp to I-77 would gain a protected pedestrian and bicycle pathway, increasing accessibility from uptown to South End, said Justin Carroll, the deputy director of CDOT.
“We’re trying to get a win for all modes of travel,” Carroll said. “The design for those are vehicle-centric…They’re not designed well for peds, cyclist and sometimes cars.”
The Nations Ford Road bridge would also get a protected pedestrian lane, while Woodlawn Road, South Tryon Street and the West Boulevard underpass would get sidewalks, according to the presented renderings.
Another bridge that would see reconstruction is Oaklawn Bridge, near the McCrorey Heights neighborhood.
That bridge was reconstructed during the I-77 North toll lane project and reopened in 2019. Some of the changes on that bridge included sidewalks and street lighting. Some proposed new changes include a protected bike and pedestrian lane, as well.
About the I-77 South toll lane project
NCDOT is planning to add toll lanes to an 11-mile stretch of I-77 from uptown to the South Carolina border. The basis behind the I-77 project is to reduce traffic and crashes.
But the project’s design, which involves elevating the highway in the uptown neighborhoods, has alarmed residents and environmentalists.
Parks and greenways will be affected, including the complete removal of Wilmore Park. Several homes in the Wilmore neighborhood will also be taken via eminent domain. In one proposed map design, exit ramps for the express lanes go through where homes are now in the Wilmore neighborhood.
What’s next for I-77 South?
It’s unclear whether the reconstruction of the bridges and the multimodal updates are covered under the $3.2 billion toll lane project.
An additional update from NCDOT on key projects, community engagement, existing conditions and next steps wasn’t fully covered in Monday’s committee meeting because of time.
Here’s what was mentioned:
- A tunneling and cap expert came to the city April 7 to determine whether the uptown portion of the I-77 could be capped. That determinate is pending.
- The proposed developers of the project will be in town May 12-13th and 13th for a developer listening session at the community engagement center.
- Several proposed reconnectivity designs were presented, including how the raised toll lanes will have bike and walking lanes.
Since the full presentation wasn’t shown, the committee voted to have the entire council hear the update next Monday. A time wasn’t presented.
Council was already planning to discuss I-77 at its May 11
A proposed resolution from council would ask that NCDOT pause any “irreversible actions” on the I-77 project until it satisfies a list of its requests.
Until NCDOT complies, the proposed resolution says Charlotte would withhold its support from any tolling or contract authorizations.
This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 5:15 AM with the headline "I-77 South toll plans include rebuilding 17 bridges with bike and walking lanes."
