Residents Voice Outrage After I-77 Toll Lane Design Selection

Residents Voice Outrage After I-77 Toll Lane Design Selection

Dozens of residents showed up to a town hall in the Historic West End on Thursday evening to speak out against plans for toll lanes along the southern stretch of I-77 in Charlotte. The meeting occurred one day after the NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT) announced it will move forward with an “elevated” design for the lanes, placing them above the existing lanes on the interstate. 

NCDOT Division 10 engineer Felix Obregon was in attendance Thursday night to present details about the agency’s decision, which was announced in a release on Wednesday. 

NCDOT plans to move forward with an elevated design for the added toll lanes, stacking them atop or above and to the side of the existing I-77 lanes for the entire span of the project, which will run from the South Carolina state line to I-277. 

One of the NCDOT’s previously proposed plans to widen the interstate threatened dozens of homes in historically Black neighborhoods like McCrorey Heights. NCDOT has called the elevated design the “least impactful” option, significantly reducing property impacts to the McCrorey Heights and Wesley Heights neighborhoods, minimizing effects on Frazier Park and avoiding any impacts to Pinewood Cemetery.

Still, many residents, neighborhood organizations, environmental advocates and transportation organizations remain opposed to the project because of its impacts on these neighborhoods, which include the effects of noise and air pollution.  

One of those organizations, Sustain Charlotte, put out a release on Thursday stating that its calls to pause the project and evaluate transit-based alternatives such as express bus or rail options that could move more people for less cost have gone ignored. 

“As of today, there is no publicly available record showing that NCDOT ever studied a transit-first alternative for I-77 South before recommending toll lanes,” said Shannon Binns, the organization’s founder and executive director. “Not studied and ruled out — simply not studied.”

Read more: Opposition to I-77 Toll Lanes Grows with Proposed Design Release (2025)

While those who rose in protest at Thursday night’s meeting were silenced when Graham cut the meeting short due to the disruption, the community engagement period for the project is not over. 

NCDOT is establishing a “community engagement center” where it will take appointments for virtual office hours to allow residents and commuters to ask questions, review project information and provide feedback, according to Wednesday’s release. A public hearing will also be held later this year.

“The project design will continue to evolve through the project’s procurement process as NCDOT will ask private companies to propose additional ideas to further eliminate impacts where possible,” read the release. 

As an NCDOT project, the construction of the I-77 toll lanes is wholly unrelated to the passing of the transit sales tax by Mecklenburg County voters in November. Visit the project website for more information. 

The Craic Bar & Restaurant Coming to SouthPark

A team of local restaurateurs and hospitality entrepreneurs on Thursday announced the upcoming opening of The Craic, a neighborhood restaurant and bar located in the old Rusty Bucket space in SouthPark. 

“The Craic is designed to fill the space between fine dining and casual cafes in SouthPark, offering a polished yet relaxed restaurant and bar experience built for everyday use from brunch through late night,” read a release announcing the coming establishment. 

Pronounced “crack,” craic is an Irish slang term used to describe a good time, fun experience, or friendly conversation.

The 4,622-square-foot, 177-seat restaurant will be run by Chris Healy, who has experience operating local bars and restaurants like The Gin Mill and The Public House; Parker Starre, a longtime Rusty Bucket employee turned restaurant partner; and Delano Little, former sports reporter and anchor at WBTV who partnered with Healy on The Public House.  

The culinary program will be overseen by executive chef Danny O’Connell, a Charlotte-based chef with more than 20 years of experience working across a range of kitchens including Heist Brewery, Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar and The Public House. 

“I grew up in kitchens, and I’ve always believed that consistency matters more than flash,” said O’Connell. “At The Craic, we’re focused on doing familiar food the right way. It’ll be food people crave, trust and want to come back for.” 

Bar manager Sarah Pinto will lead the beverage program, bringing more than 25 years of hospitality experience to a bar that’s set to feature 31 beer taps with local, regional and international selections; eight temperature-controlled wine dispensers; and a curated bottle list with space for up to 200 bottles. 

The cocktail menu will emphasize balance and accessibility, with house-made syrups and strong nonalcoholic options available both on draft and in cans, according to the release. 

The Craic is expected to open before April. Follow @thecraic_clt on Instagram for updates. 

FTA Releases Safety Audit of CATS

The Federal Transit Administration on Monday published the results of an audit the agency carried out to determine whether transit workers and customers are or have been endangered due to shortcomings or oversights by the Charlotte Area Transit System, known as CATS. 

The FTA conducted the audit in October and November 2025 after the August slaying of Iryna Zarutska on a Blue Line car garnered national headlines. The audit, which aimed to assess CATS’s compliance with federal Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans, found 18 areas of non-compliance that CATS must now implement required actions to correct. 

The findings include a failure to properly assess risk-mitigation strategies and to properly establish and utilize a joint labor-management safety committee. 

Read more: How Iryna Zarutska’s Killing Sparked a National Outrage (2025)

The report’s findings regarding crime on CATS vehicles and properties were notable, as Charlotte City Council members had repeatedly asked for such data during meetings that followed Zarutska’s killing but were not provided it publicly. 

FTA’s audit found that the rate of assault on transit workers at CATS jumped to five times the national average in 2025 after being below the national average the previous two years. The rate of crimes against passengers on CATS vehicles or properties was also three times the national average last year. 

Read the full audit report including findings and recommendations here.

Report Ranks Charlotte Third in Affordable Housing Growth

A report from researchers working with the apartment search website RentCafe that was shared this week found affordable housing construction has nearly tripled in the Charlotte area over the last five years, the third-fastest growth of any metro area in the country. 

The report found that, between 2020 and 2024, the Charlotte metro saw 6,078 affordable apartments come online, accounting for about 11% of all new apartment construction during that period. Overall, roughly 56,000 apartments were built in the area over those five years, according to a release from RentCafe on Monday.  

These 6,078 apartments represent a 191% increase in affordable housing construction compared to the previous five-year period, the report states, when affordable units made up just 5% of new apartment completions in the region.

Charlotte trails only San Antonio and Phoenix among major metro areas in percentage growth over that span. In North Carolina, the Charlotte metro’s 6,000+ affordable units more than double the second leading area in the state, the Triangle, which saw 2,647 come online. 

Greenville and New Bern saw the highest percentage of affordable units compared to all apartment construction at 46% and 42%, respectively. 

Read the full report here. 

MCSO Launches New Traffic Unit

The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) on Friday announced the launch of its newly reformed Traffic Unit, expanding its capacity to focus exclusively on traffic enforcement and crash investigations in areas of the county that are underserved by law enforcement. 

The MCSO Traffic Unit was established in October 2024 and in 2025 conducted more than 3,500 traffic stops, making 31 arrests. 

In August 2025, seven deputies began specialized training on how to conduct crash investigations, also becoming certified in operating the state’s Traffic Records and Crash System (TraCS), an application used by law enforcement agencies to document crash data.

Read more: Tracking Vehicle-Related Deaths on Charlotte Streets in 2025

According to Friday’s release, the assigned deputies are now able to complete crash investigations and report on-site, significantly reducing call response times, alleviating workload pressures and minimizing reliance on other agencies such as the NC State Highway Patrol or CMPD for assistance. 

“Creating a dedicated traffic unit allows us to better serve our community and our law  enforcement partners,” stated Sheriff Garry McFadden. “Our deputies already respond to traffic incidents daily, but this specialized unit will ensure we have trained, equipped personnel dedicated to keeping our roadways safer, responding faster when crashes occur, and supporting crime-reduction efforts. I anticipate the MCSO traffic team will continue to  grow as this initiative evolves.”