North Carolina Transportation Secretary Daniel Johnson confirmed in a letter Tuesday that he believes the Interstate 77 toll lane project could help fund grocery stores in west Charlotte, as part of an effort to build support for the controversial project.
Johnson wrote that the DOT will work with community partners to help close the funding gap for efforts to address food deserts on Charlotte’s west side. He added that he is confident the DOT and a private contractor can “solve this problem.”
The letter said the grocery stores would be part of up to $300 million in community benefits for the west side, meant to offset any negative impacts from the highway expansion. The package would also include building bike lanes and sidewalks, coordinating relocation efforts with “compassion and transparency,” requiring the contractor to have “meaningful” engagement with small businesses, and placing concrete caps over parts of the highway near uptown…