Are You Using The I-77 Express Lanes?
If you’ve traveled on I-77 between Huntersville and Mooresville, you know by now that the new Express Lanes are open. Are they working?
There’s no doubt that traffic is moving more freely on this 13 miles stretch of Interstate. Is it really due to the Express Lanes or simply the fact that there are no longer construction crews, vehicles, and on-going work?
There aren’t many people in the Express Lanes, or so it seems. Is that because many locals have refused to use it and have hated it since the concept was started? Is it because not many people have the transponders yet and don’t want to pay higher “Pay By Mail” charges? Or is it because 90% of the time, the regular lanes are moving just as fast as the Express Lanes?
Right now, the tolls are a fixed price. However, after the first 6 months, they’ll go into “dynamic pricing” where it will change based on how heavy traffic.
Are you likely to start using the Express Lanes more often? Or are you counting on “other people” using them so it’ll free up your regular free lanes?