The Charlotte City Council officially maintains its opposition to the Interstate 77 South project as regional transportation leaders weigh whether the council will vote to reverse its stance before a critical vote next month.
Members of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Regional Transportation Planning Organization met Wednesday night to discuss the status of the project.
Under a provision in the state budget, if CRTPO does not vote to revive the project in some capacity by Oct. 5, it must be removed from the state project list, which would delay any future work on I-77 South by at least a decade.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: NC budget provision pressures towns over I-77 South toll lane project
Charlotte City Councilman Ed Driggs, who represents District 7, addressed the planning board Wednesday night to discuss the council's standing.
Driggs said conversations are continuing regarding a potential vote to change Charlotte's stance by late September, though no vote has been placed on the agenda.
He noted that council members want an independent study to evaluate alternate solutions for the highway corridor, a desire shared by officials from neighboring municipalities.
"It's very hard for me to speculate and I don't want to presume," Driggs said. "So I'm not going to speak for anybody or prejudge what their position may be."
Matthews Mayor John Higdon questioned whether local governments have enough time to finish a new study before the state deadline, urging state officials to allow more time.
"Absolutely they could extend it," Higdon said. "I am an engineer by trade, and there is no way we're going to have a complete alternative analysis done by October."
The state budget provision also mandates that municipalities voting to cancel the project must reimburse NCDOT for work already completed.
While the exact total remains unclear, North Carolina Board of Transportation Member Stephen Rosenburgh said Wednesday that the figure exceeds $60 million and he cautioned board members who questioned the legality of the requirement.
"You have a body that said go ahead and do something," Rosenburgh said. "Now you say don't do it. That's a very important change in heart that I think would not auger well for this body in court."
Charlotte holds 31 of the 74 votes on the CRTPO board, making its official stance decisive in determining how the regional body votes.
Additional Charlotte City Council meetings are scheduled before the regional transportation meeting, though no vote on the project has been formally scheduled.
The CRTPO is scheduled to reconsider the I-77 South project at its meeting on Sept. 23. If the board does not vote to revive the project, state law requires that it be removed from the state project list on Oct. 5.