South Carolina Lawmakers Propose Toll Lanes on I-77 Near Charlotte

South Carolina lawmakers are considering Senate Bill 831. The bill would add toll lanes in congested areas, including Interstate 77 near York County. State officials want to connect with North Carolina's express lane system on I-77 in the Charlotte area.

Sen. Sean Bennett chairs the South Carolina Senate Ethics Committee. He said the proposal tackles traffic flow between Charlotte and York County. "We recognize you have a major municipality in the Charlotte area, you've got a growing municipality in the York County area," Bennett sa, according to WCNC. "There's constant flow back and forth across the border. You can't run into a stoppage, right? You can't have one side doing something and the other side not."

The bill focuses on high-traffic areas. It won't apply statewide. Bennett said the plan targets areas like York County where congestion creates delays, though it won't work for every county.

Sen. Larry Grooms chairs the Senate Transportation Committee. SCDOT will partner with private companies for construction, he said. Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina have run similar programs with success.

"We believe in the Charlotte region, we'll be able to have the choice lanes to match up the South Carolina portion of I-77 to match up with what North Carolina is doing," Grooms said.

The plan calls for building new lanes. Existing lanes will stay free. No current highway lanes will be converted to toll roads.

"Choice lanes would give them another option, and the idea, hopefully, is even if you choose not to utilize the choice lanes, the free lanes that you've been using will probably be less congested because some people are going to use that," Bennett explained. "So, it should be a win-win."

Bennett added that the express lanes provide an opportunity to add capacity to roadways. The legislation is still moving through the state legislature.

If passed, many of these changes would happen over the next several years. The bill represents a sweeping transportation overhaul for the state.