Letters published in local newspapers that discuss HOT Lanes:
Questioning Speaker Tillis’s support for I-77 toll lanes June 2013 — Dave Gilroy Cornelius Commissioner
Response to “more lanes for me” (email) June 2013 — Bruce A. Andersen, Huntersville
Commissioner McAuley should resign May 2013 – Kurt Naas, Cornelius
Former commissioner calls for McAuley resignation May 2013 – William Rakatansky, Cornelius
Rural vs. urban and HOT Lanes May 2013 – Vince Winegardner, Davidson
Cornelius’ I-77 vote was the wrong decision May 2013 – William Rakatansky, Cornelius
Cornelius Commissioner Dave Gilroy on toll lanes May 2013 – The Herald Weekly
Toll lanes aren’t the answer to I-77 woes March 2013 – An editorial of the Mooresville Tribune
Huntersville property owners oppose HOT lanes Feb 2013 – Alex Kilgour and the Northcross Master Association Board of Directors
HOT lanes are the ‘wrong way’ for Lake Norman Jan 2013 – Vince Winegardner, Davidson
An open letter to Lake Norman Area Commuters, Oct 2012: Hello Neighbor10-24-12
In a rare outbreak of common sense, Charlotte City Council votes down Mayor Foxx’ $37M streetcar, yet earlier refused to fund a $200K to look at shoulder widening on I-77, July 2012: CommonSense2012
How MUMPO chooses what roads are going to be built (and which ones aren’t) Feb 2011: I77Observer
HOT Lanes are effectively a form of double taxation that offers a poor return for the Lake Norman Commuter, April 2011: I-77 Toll Road- A Taxing Subject
North Mecklenburg County’s population is expected to double in the next twenty years. Yet neither growth nor congestion are considered when the Mecklenburg prioritizes roads, April 2011: Growth & I-77
Comparing the value of adding a third lane on I-77 to the Red Line, Mar 2011: The Train vs The Lane
How our local officials managed to squander the $20M we need to complete phase 1, Mar 2011: Widening I-77- We’re Addicted to OPM
Comparing how Charlotte’s $37M streetcar received priority over widening I-77, Feb 2011: This Idea Should Go to the CATS
Widen I-77 
Pingback: State of the toll lanes | Widen I-77
Jeff,
How in your right mind can you support tying up a major artery for economic development (aka I-77)for the next 50 years just to support a P-3 partnership? You and I both saw the presentation by the group at the Town Hall meeting on Monday last. The concept is flawed- NO where that it has been tried has it worked (San Diego, Houston, Atlanta, etc.)
.
Myth: HOT Lanes offer a better return on investment.
Fact: HOT Lanes require substantial additional costs to make the financial model work. Among these are an HOV-HOT lane conversion, toll equipment, operating costs, increased law enforcement costs, and profits for the private toll lane operator. In addition, the current plan calls for improvements to be made in Charlotte with no benefit to LKN commuters. These include widening existing lanes through downtown Charlotte and re-doing the Brookshire interchange to accommodate HOT lanes. The current HOT lane model costs over $300 million for lanes up to exit 28. An additional general purpose lane over that same distance would cost approximately $50 million.
This is not a Democrat/Republican issue and I believe in the P-3 concept where it is economically sound, but this is lunacy. Go to the Widen I-77 website (http://wideni77.org) to see all the justification you could ever want. This is a bad deal!!!
Please pull your support for this issue and think about the long term consequences.
William C. Sykes
bsykes12@bellsouth.net