Comment on DOT Great Corridors of Commerce Request for Information
- Nevada’s I-11 corridor should receive AGCC priority designation to fast-track utility colocation and concierge federal technical assistance.
- Colocating high-voltage transmission, broadband fiber, and water pipelines along highway rights-of-way reduces costs and accelerates grid expansion for regional manufacturers.
- The Jean–Apex–Eldorado Valley manufacturing arc depends on reliable freight corridors for supply chain sovereignty.
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I. Introduction
The Bedrock Coalition is a Wyoming-incorporated 501(c)(6) trade association focused on Nevada industrial policy, advanced manufacturing, and supply chain sovereignty. We submit this comment in response to DOT’s America’s Great Corridors of Commerce Request for Information to advocate for the recognition of Nevada’s Interstate 11 corridor as a priority AGCC designation.
II. The I-11 Corridor and Nevada’s Industrial Future
The Interstate 11 corridor connecting Nevada and Arizona represents a critical freight mobility upgrade for the Las Vegas metropolitan area and Southern Nevada’s emerging manufacturing ecosystem. NDOT’s Planning and Environmental Linkages study recommended the central corridor—following existing I-515 and U.S. 95—for future interstate designation, emphasizing enhanced mobility, improved wayfinding, and strengthened goods movement.
The $22 million SafeTech Corridor project is already installing advanced traffic management technology over approximately five miles of I-11/U.S. 95, including active traffic management gantries, wrong-way driver alert systems, and strategic traffic management sites. These investments signal commitment to corridor safety and operational reliability.
III. The Case for Utility Colocation
The AGCC initiative’s emphasis on colocating critical utility infrastructure—high-voltage transmission, broadband fiber, and water pipelines—along existing highway and rail rights-of-way through public-private partnerships presents a transformative opportunity for Nevada’s industrial base.
As industrial demand for energy and telecommunications capacity surges, the traditional method of acquiring new greenfield property for utility projects is proving too slow and costly. Colocating along the I-11 corridor would generate revenue for infrastructure repair while accelerating grid expansion, directly lowering operational costs for advanced manufacturers in the Jean–Apex–Eldorado Valley arc.
IV. The Jean–Apex–Eldorado Valley Manufacturing Arc
Southern Nevada’s industrial land developments further illustrate the convergence of corridor planning, logistics, and manufacturing siting. The South Vegas Industrial Center in Jean occupies roughly 200 acres with plans for over 2.6 million square feet of warehouse and manufacturing facilities, situated along the I-15 corridor.
The property’s logistics advantages—closest Nevada facility to Southern California ports, full interchange, committed water and wastewater capacity, two electrical substations, rail adjacency, and the Jean Airport—position it as a critical node in Southern Nevada’s emerging manufacturing corridor.
V. Recommendations
1. Designate I-11 as an AGCC priority corridor to provide concierge federal technical assistance from the Build America Bureau, streamlining permitting for utility colocation projects.
2. Support public-private partnership frameworks that allow longitudinal leasing of highway rights-of-way for high-voltage transmission and broadband fiber deployment.
3. Integrate corridor planning with industrial site development to ensure that freight reliability investments support supply chain sovereignty goals across the Jean–Apex–Eldorado Valley manufacturing arc.