When companies evaluate potential locations for major industrial investment, transportation access is only one piece of the infrastructure equation. Power availability, fiber connectivity, water access and the ability to deliver new infrastructure on a competitive timeline can be equally important.
A new federal initiative could bring more of those considerations together.
On August 26, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced America’s Great Corridors of Commerce (AGCC), a voluntary initiative designed to encourage the development of utility infrastructure along existing highway and rail corridors.
The concept could have important implications for economic development and site selection.
Connecting More Than Transportation
Through AGCC, state departments of transportation and railroads could work with private-sector partners to accommodate infrastructure such as electric transmission lines, fiber optic networks, water pipelines and other utilities within transportation rights-of-way.
Rather than viewing transportation, energy and telecommunications infrastructure as entirely separate systems, the initiative seeks opportunities to coordinate their development along strategic corridors.
USDOT plans to initially designate up to five priority corridors. Selected corridors would receive enhanced federal coordination and technical assistance intended to help streamline permitting and connect projects with available funding and financing resources.
Why This Matters for Site Selection
Infrastructure has always played a critical role in determining whether a site is truly competitive.
For many large industrial projects, access to a highway or rail line is not enough. Companies may also require substantial electric capacity, dependable telecommunications infrastructure, water and other utilities.
That means the competitiveness of a location can depend not only on what infrastructure exists today, but also on how efficiently additional capacity can be developed and delivered.
AGCC could create new opportunities for communities located along strategic transportation corridors to strengthen the infrastructure surrounding available industrial property. USDOT itself anticipates that coordinated infrastructure along these corridors could make adjacent property more attractive for manufacturing and other infrastructure-intensive development.
A Broader View of Site Readiness
For economic development organizations and communities competing for investment, the initiative also reinforces a larger trend in site selection: site readiness increasingly extends beyond the boundaries of the property.
A strong industrial site must connect to the infrastructure required to operate it.
Transportation, power, fiber, water, permitting and the ability to expand those systems can all influence project cost, feasibility and speed-to-market. Communities that understand those requirements and plan for them before a prospect arrives may be better positioned to compete for future investment.
AGCC is still in its early stages. USDOT is currently accepting comments on the proposed model through September 12, 2026, after which the department expects to seek proposals from eligible right-of-way owners for the first round of corridor designations.
As the initiative develops, the locations selected for the first corridors will be worth watching, particularly for companies and communities evaluating where the next generation of infrastructure-intensive investment may occur.
At GMJ, we help companies and communities evaluate the infrastructure, regulatory, economic and strategic factors that influence location and investment decisions.