2026-18521NoticeWallet

Highways as power lines? DOT's wild corridor plan.

Published Date: 9/11/2026

Notice

Summary

Significant and immediate investment in linear utility infrastructure is essential to meet the surging energy needs of critical manufacturing and emerging technologies that drive America's security, prosperity, and global leadership. Highway and rail transportation assets represent significant linear rights-of-way (ROWs) that have traditionally been reserved solely for transportation needs. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT or the Department), through the Build America Bureau, created the America's Great Corridors of Commerce (AGCC) initiative to unleash opportunities for both highway and rail ROW owners to generate revenue streams through utility colocation that can fund transportation improvement projects, while simultaneously delivering significant economic development to these areas. AGCC is a voluntary, applicant-driven process in which ROW owners propose corridors for strategic colocation of utility infrastructure in the transportation ROW through an innovative public- private partnership (P3) model. Selected corridors receive concierge technical assistance and enhanced collaboration from a team of experts from relevant Federal agencies. In this RFI, DOT seeks comments from the public and interested parties on the AGCC model and the proposed elements of DOT's anticipated AGCC designation process.

Analyzed Economic Effects

4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Federal Concierge Help for Selected Corridors

DOT intends to designate up to five AGCC corridors per year. Designated corridors will get a Federal interagency task force "concierge" that helps speed NEPA review, permitting, and access to federal funding and financing programs.

Potential Downward Pressure On Utility Rates

DOT says clustering power and communications in AGCC corridors can minimize total capital investment and may create downward pressure on residential utility rates. The idea is that strategic colocations and economies of scale could lower transmission costs for households.

New Long-Term Leasing Revenue For ROW Owners

The AGCC model allows highway and rail rights-of-way (ROW) owners to hire private concessionaires (Corridor Managers) to build and lease underground or above-ground utility channels for typical terms of 30 to 50 years. Lease payments and other revenue from hosting utilities can create new, recurring revenue that can be reinvested in transportation upgrades across the 160,000 centerline miles of the National Highway System and the 140,000 route miles of the U.S. freight rail network.

Incentive For Industrial and Data Center Siting

DOT says AGCC would incentivize data centers, manufacturing, and distribution hubs to locate near designated corridors to use a "plug and play" utility model. That could spur faster industrial and commercial development close to corridors and increase local economic activity and tax revenues.

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Key Dates

Published Date
Comments Due
9/11/2026
10/2/2026

Department and Agencies

Department
Independent Agency
Agency
Transportation Department
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