Charlotte delegation, city staff outline $19.4 billion multimodal transportation plan and public process

Charlotte officials and members of the Mecklenburg County legislative delegation on Jan. 22 held a legislative briefing in Charlotte to review the city’s 2025 legislative agenda and a proposed multimodal transportation funding plan that staff said could total about $19.4 billion over 30 years.

The proposal, described by Ed McKinney of the Charlotte city manager’s office, would dedicate about 60 percent of funds to roads and bus investments and about 40 percent to rail, and is structured as an annual, sales-tax-derived revenue stream intended to be distributed to local jurisdictions. "So it's really important to sort of pause on that, that number at the top, 19,400,000,000," McKinney said. He added the local revenue could help "potentially pull down another 6,000,000,000" in federal matching funds over time.

Why it matters: leaders said the package is intended to address growth-driven congestion, safety needs such as sidewalks and lighting, bus frequency and amenities, and to fund the Red Line commuter rail and other priority corridors. The proposal positions a local funding source as a local match to attract federal grants and, if put to voters, would be accompanied by a revised transit plan and a public referendum later this year.

Details of the plan and process

McKinney and city staff described the plan as multimodal and countywide in scope, with local…