Charlotte Said No to a $4.3 Billion Highway. Now the State Wants $60 Million Back.

When Charlotte and its regional planning body withdrew support for a $4.3 billion widening of Interstate 77, North Carolina lawmakers responded by threatening a $60 million penalty and a funding cutoff. Host Carlee Alm-LaBar is joined by Patrick Kennedy, whose Atlas of Inner-City Highway Impacts documents highway damage across 142 cities, and John Reuter, the newly named Executive Director of Strong Towns, to break down the sunk cost trap, the real math behind highway "assets," and why the local officials who pushed back may have saved far more than they spent.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

• "N.C. Lawmakers May Claw Back $60M for Cancelled I-77 Project" by Ray Gronberg, Businessnc.com (June 2026)
• Downzone:
  • Atlas of Inner-City Highway Impacts (PDF)
  • Mission Accomplished (Site)
  • Dealing with Dragons (Site)
  • Fifa (Site)
• Carlee Alm-LaBar (LinkedIn)
• Patrick Kennedy (LinkedIn)
• John Reuter (LinkedIn)
• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

 

This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.