Transportation and Climate Initiative States Receive Electric Vehicle Corridor Designation

The U.S. Department of Transportation has designated several interstate highways in the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) region as Electric Vehicle Corridors. The designations provide federal recognition for the strong state support for electric vehicles (EV) in the region and will lead to increased electric vehicle travel in the northeast and mid-Atlantic.

“Designating these highways as electric vehicle corridors will make it easier for people to drive electric vehicles from Maine to DC and everywhere in between,” said Vicki Arroyo, executive director of the Georgetown Climate Center, which facilitates the Transportation and Climate Initiative and supports the Northeast Electric Vehicle Network. “This announcement recognizes the robust support for electric vehicles in the northeast and mid-Atlantic, which have been leaders on clean transportation issues.

“We think that with this designation, we will be able to begin to turn this vision into a reality. There has been a real commitment by states to expand the use of electric vehicles through individual state policies and regional collaboration through the Transportation and Climate Initiative.”

All 12 TCI jurisdictions nominated corridors for designation, including a multi-state application led by the Vermont Agency of Transportation and facilitated by the Georgetown Climate Center. The corridor designations demonstrate the power of the partnership of the states in the region to work together to promote electric vehicles and clean transportation policies through the Transportation and Climate Initiative.

The U.S. Department of Transportation designated the following roads as "alternate-fuel" corridors on November 3:

• I-95: From Augusta, Maine to Washington, DC.
• I-91: From Norwich, Vermont to New Haven, Connecticut.
• I-87: From New York City to Lake George, New York.
• I-89: From Lebanon, New Hampshire to Burlington, Vermont.
• I-90: From Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York; segments in New York from Syracuse to Utica and from Bowmansville to the Pennsylvania border.
• I-93: From Vermont to Braintree, Massachusetts.
• I-84: From Middletown, New York to the Connecticut/Massachusetts border.
• I-70: From Baltimore, Maryland to Hagerstown, Maryland.
• I-270 (Maryland): Entire length of corridor.
• US-50: From Washington, DC border to Ocean City, Maryland.
• I-395: From Waterford, Connecticut to Connecticut/Massachusetts border.
• I-76: From Pennsylvania/Ohio border to Hunker, Pennsylvania and from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania to Philadelphia.
• I-276: From the western start of I-76 to Pennsylvania/New Jersey border.
• I-476: From Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to intersection with I-95.

The corridor designation is expected to both accelerate private investment in electric vehicle infrastructure and bring additional federal support to the region in the future. 

TCI states established the Northeast Electric Vehicle Network in 2011 to accelerate electric vehicle deployment and facilitate travel from D.C. to Maine and throughout the region. Through the Northeast Electric Vehicle Network, states are working together to support the growth of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure throughout the contiguous northeast and mid-Atlantic region. More than 100 cities, companies, and organizations have signed on as pledged supporters of the network.