March 21. Motorists may have already seen the covered “lanes shift ahead” signs which I 77 Mobility Partner’s installed last week on the interstate north of Exit 28. It means that those dreaded shifts in the interstate lanes to allow construction crews more room to work will soon commence between Cornelius and Davidson, going across […]
March 10. By Dave Vieser. The Lake Norman Regional Transportation Commission met last night for the first time since three of the four member towns voted to pull out of the commission as of June 30. With its future uncertain, Chairwoman Melinda Bales said the commissioners would meet soon with the four town’s elected officials to […]
March 10. With Cintra’s sale of an equity stake in the I-77 toll lane project and the recent bankruptcy of Cintra’s SR 130 toll road in Texas, Widen I-77 is holding a discussion meeting at Cornelius Town Hall at 7 pm tonight. The group will present an analysis of the private tolling business model, including […]
March 7. Widen I-77 will be present an analysis of the private tolling business model, including the planned I-77 project, this Thursday March 10 at Cornelius Town Hall. The presentation, which starts at 7 pm, will highlight common features of private toll road projects across the country. The group has not made a public presentation […]
Dec. 7. By Dave Yochum. UPDATED. If you’ve never been to a Cornelius Town Board meeting, tonight is the one to attend. It’s not because five commissioners and the mayor will be sworn into two-year terms, or that NC Rep. John Bradford and Judge Charlotte Brown Williams will do the swearing in. It’s because Commissioner Dave Gilroy says […]
Construction of the I-77 toll lanes resumes at 10 Monday night. I-77 Mobility Partners says construction will occur in the median with minimal disruption to commuters. Occasional lane shifts and lane closures will only take place in overnight hours. Lane closures for the week of Nov. 30-Dec. 6 are: Northbound I-77 Expect lane closures from south of Exit 23 to Exit 25 […]
Nov. 13. UPDATED. By Dave Yochum. Although four North Carolina legislators have called on the governor to exercise the termination provisions in NCDOT’s I-77 contract with Cintra, a Spanish company, Pat McCrory is sticking to his guns. Within an hour after the four said they will seek a temporary restraining order to stop the project, McCrory’s NCDOT […]
UPDATED 6:40 PM Nov. 9. NC Rep. Charles Jeter will convene an I-77 summit within the next 10 business days to hash out ways to fix the controversial toll plan. The divisive issue led to resounding defeats on Election Day for officials like Mayor Jill Swain and Commissioner Sarah McAulay in Huntersville. Jeter said that “in direct […]
Aug. 20. By Dave Yochum. ANALYSIS. The I-77 toll battle just got more interesting. And a little humorous. WidenI-77 founder Kurt Naas, a Cornelius resident, has challenged the head of I-77 Mobility Partners, the newly created Cintra unit that will build and run the toll lanes, to a debate. “In the interest of informing the public, […]
The Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce will hold a special business briefing on the I-77 toll plan Tuesday Aug. 18 from 6:30 to 8 pm at The Galway Hooker Irish Pub in Kenton Place. Residents and business leaders are encouraged to attend. There will be a presentation on the project, including “how it will negatively affect your businesses and […]