CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The widening of Interstate 77 in northern Mecklenburg County should be the next road project to break ground in the region, a key transportation official told NewsChannel 36 Wednesday.
Barry Moose, Division Engineer for the N.C. Department of Transportation, said he compiled his prioritized list of future construction efforts this week and identified the additional lanes as the most important project for the region which includes Mecklenburg, Union, Cabarrus, Anson and Stanly counties.
"Of all the needs that we have in our five county region I feel like that is the number one need moving forward," Moose said.
Two additional lanes, from the I-485 interchange in north Charlotte to Sam Furr Road in Huntersville, would be added to northbound and southbound I-77, he said.
Traffic jams are common, especially during evening rush hour, as the Interstate narrows from four lanes to two between Hambright and Gilead Roads.
The recommendation to widen the road will be sent to officials in Raleigh and presented to the Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization, a panel of regional leaders which oversees road projects.
Jim Bensman, a Cornelius commissioner who serves on MUMPO, said he was pleased to learn the I-77 widening effort is now at the top of Moose's list.
"I’m thrilled," he said. "We’ve been talking about that for quite a while."
Widening about six miles of I-77 is expected to cost $50 million, Moose said, and the project is not currently funded by the state.
Without money to pay for construction, work is not expected to begin on the interstate widening in the next five years, he said.
North Mecklenburg leaders have suggested the project could be expedited if the construction company which completes the work agrees to finance the project.
Dubbed 'design, build, finance' by road planners, the funding plan is being implemented to pay a portion of the cost for the final segment of I-485.
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