March 6. Judge Osmond Smith III denied a motion by the citizens group Widen I77 for a preliminary injunction to halt plans for toll lanes on I-77 from Lake Norman to Charlotte.  “We are obviously disappointed, but respect the judge’s decision,” the group said on their website, wideni77.org.  A preliminary injunction would have stopped the toll project entirely. “Our request for a permanent injunction remains active, and we will be meeting with counsel and as a group to discuss next steps,” the site says. Smith heard arguments Tuesday in Alamance County. Smith was appointed to hear the group’s complaint seeking preliminary and permanent injunctions against the $655 million project. Led by businessman Kurt Naas, who testified for more than two hours, the group has seen support grow in recent months. “This would have been much worse if the judge had thrown our case out. Then I think we would basically be done,” one I77 member said.