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Charlotte City Council members Malcolm Graham and Joi Mayo flipped their votes Monday to support the state’s plans to add toll lanes to Interstate 77. Their votes ensured that the City Council backed the project in a 7-4 vote, meaning the 11-mile project is almost certain to be built.

In May, Graham and Mayo voted against the Department of Transportation’s plans to partner with a private developer to build the controversial $4 billion project. They were concerned about the impact on historically Black neighborhoods on Charlotte’s west side, as well as whether the toll lanes were the best way to relieve congestion.

After hearing from dozens of Charlotte residents, the City Council voted Monday to reinstate its support for the I-77 toll project.

The special meeting drew a crowd that filled the council chambers and the overflow area in the lobby of the government building uptown.

The council’s decision to back the project came on a 7-4 vote, with LaWana Mayfield, JD Mazuera Arias, Renee Johnson and Victoria Watlington voting to step away from the initiative, which is led by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

In a 7-4 vote, Charlotte City Council voted to support the Interstate 77 South toll lanes project, a reversal from a decision four months earlier that nixed support amid fierce backlash from neighborhood groups adjacent to the highway.

City leaders secured a $300 million commitment for community investments including grocery co-ops and recreation centers to serve west-side neighborhoods near the interstate.