House panel backs canceling I-77 toll lane contract

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Some North Carolina lawmakers are supporting efforts to cancel an agreement with a private developer to build toll lanes along Interstate 77 north of Charlotte.

The House Transportation and Appropriations committees voted Wednesday to move to chamber floor the proposal to pull out of a 50-year contract the state has signed with Cintra.

Both committees accepted the bill “without prejudice,” as opposed to favorably. “Without prejudice” is a seldom-used procedural action that often reflects the lack of strong support for a measure.

The panels acted despite warnings from Transportation Secretary Nick Tennyson that canceling the contract could cost millions of dollars in penalty fees and would leave the area without any clear traffic solutions.

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