U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy unveiled America’s Great Corridors of Commerce (AGCC) – a first-of-its-kind, voluntary nationwide opportunity to transform highway and rail corridors into multi-use arteries for transmission wires, fiber optic lines, water pipelines, and other vital utilities.

The initiative will give State Departments of Transportation and railroads the ability to lease “rights-of-way”—the land running alongside roads, tracks or shared space utility tunnels. These rights-of-way owners can partner with private sector “Corridor Managers” to oversee design, development, operation, and maintenance along these routes.

Using existing transportation land instead of acquiring new private property reduces project costs and can leverage categorical environmental exemptions to bypass lengthy reviews. Revenues generated from utility leases will fund repairs and upgrades for the roads, bridges, tunnels, and railroads along the corridor.

Why AGCC is Needed:

China has built more high-voltage transmission lines in the last 15 years than the United States has in its entire history – powering their rapid growth in advanced manufacturing and AI technology. While new power plants are coming online in America, transporting affordable energy to growing communities and manufacturing hubs is constrained by the nation’s severe lack of transmission grid capacity. Accelerating new transmission projects will ensure the United States can meet its growing energy demands.

A similar challenge exists with fiber optic cables, which are essential to semiconductor production, hyperscalers, smart transportation systems, and other technologies of the future. With demand for fiber expected to double by 2029, the United States must find opportunities to speed up deployment.

The initiative will also help address a multi-trillion backlog of upgrades for existing transportation infrastructure – ensuring roads, tunnels, bridges, and rail lines can leverage private capital to stay online.

-via Press Release