Public Records Raise Questions About HNTB’s I-77 South Role, NCDOT Post-Employment Safeguards, and Charlotte Regional Business Alliance Ties

Sustain Charlotte calls for disclosure of consultant spending, post-employment ethics reviews, and financial interests surrounding the multibillion-dollar toll-lane proposal

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A review of public records by Sustain Charlotte is raising new questions about the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s relationship with HNTB, the consulting firm serving as Program Manager / Commercial Advisor for the proposed I-77 South toll-lane project.

The review began after Sustain Charlotte received suggestions from knowledgeable sources familiar with transportation contracting to examine HNTB’s work for NCDOT, the roles and influence of former senior NCDOT officials now at HNTB, and the firm’s relationship with the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, a prominent advocate for I-77 South.

The records show that at least four former senior NCDOT officials — Bobby Lewis, Ronnie Keeter, Brian Burch, and Chris Peoples — subsequently joined HNTB.

Former NCDOT Chief Operating Officer Bobby Lewis, who joined HNTB in 2020, has played a particularly significant role. HNTB’s own qualifications materials state that beginning in January 2022, Lewis has led NCDOT’s statewide analysis comparing publicly and privately operated toll projects. HNTB specifically identifies I-77 South among those projects and says Lewis manages the financial, technical, and legal advisers participating in the analysis.

Former Chief Engineer Ronnie Keeter and former Western Deputy Chief Engineer Brian Burch also joined HNTB after decades at NCDOT. NCDOT’s September 2025 I-77 South Industry Forum attendee list shows Lewis, Keeter, and Burch all representing HNTB. Most recently, former NCDOT COO Chris Peoples retired on June 1, 2026, and joined HNTB less than two months later.

Sustain Charlotte has not concluded that any person or organization violated a law or ethics rule. However, North Carolina law and NCDOT’s own ethics policies contain safeguards governing public contracting, future employment, and the work of former employees on contracts in which they previously participated.

“We are not asking anyone to assume these safeguards were violated,” said Shannon Binns, founder and executive director of Sustain Charlotte. “We are asking NCDOT to provide the records necessary to show whether they were followed.”

The review also raises questions about the full amount HNTB has received for I-77 South-related work.

NCDOT’s accounting attributes $6.98 million to HNTB — approximately 10% of the $69.6 million it says has been spent on I-77 South to date. But HNTB also holds large statewide and Turnpike Authority consulting contracts that can fund work through individual task orders. One HNTB Strategic General Services contract grew to $19 million in authorized capacity; its successor has grown to $30 million; and a separate North Carolina Turnpike Authority HNTB contract has grown to approximately $37 million. Those are contract ceilings, not amounts necessarily paid, and they cover work beyond I-77 South. Sustain Charlotte is asking NCDOT to disclose HNTB task orders and invoices related to I-77 South so the public can determine whether all project-related HNTB expenses are reflected in the $6.98 million attributed directly to the firm and in the overall $69.6 million project total.

HNTB could also have a substantial financial interest in future project phases. Information provided during Sustain Charlotte’s review suggested that program-management compensation for a project of this type could reach 5%–8% of the project cost. Sustain Charlotte has not independently verified that percentage and is not presenting it as HNTB’s actual or anticipated fee. But if applied to the approximately $5 billion project cost cited in HNTB’s own qualifications materials, the range would be $250 million to $400 million. Sustain Charlotte believes the scale makes disclosure of HNTB’s anticipated compensation important.

The review also identified longstanding financial and leadership relationships between HNTB, Cintra, and the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, a prominent advocate for I-77 South. CRBA’s 2023 annual report identifies both HNTB and Cintra as Visionary Investors, a level requiring a $50,000 annual investment that year. Both companies also had senior executives serving on CRBA’s 2023 Board of Trustees, and those leadership ties have continued. HNTB also contributed $100,000 to CRBA’s campaign for the Mecklenburg County transportation sales tax increase last year. Cintra is also part of 77SouthLink, one of four teams NCDOT shortlisted to compete for the I-77 South concession.

“These relationships do not prove improper conduct,” Binns said. “But when companies advising NCDOT or competing for a multibillion-dollar project are also major financial supporters and leaders of an organization advocating for that project, we believe elected officials and the public should know that.”The Charlotte City Council is scheduled to consider I-77 South on Monday, September 21.

Editor's Update: the vote was 7-4 to overturn their rescinded support and to move foward with the project.

About Sustain Charlotte

Sustain Charlotte is a nonprofit organization working to create a more equitable, connected, and healthy community by inspiring responsible growth and transportation choices. Learn more at sustaincharlotte.org.

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Editors' Note: Sustain Charlotte was an important source for our recent article on this topic.