$1 million DOT grant will kick off I-40 TradePort Corridor

A massive transformation is coming to Northern Arizona and the City of Winslow as the I-40 TradePort Corridor (I40TPC) has received its initial $1 million funding from the Department of Transportation.

It’s the first step toward bringing manufacturing, retail, commerce and opportunity to Winslow and the surrounding areas, including a 3,000+ acre industrial mega site to bring middle class jobs back to America.

Daniel Lupien, Managing Director of Atlas Global Development Group, joined Arizona Horizon to discuss the TradePort Corridor.

“It’s less about the million dollars than it is the designation from USDOT,” Lupien said. “That means that they’re partnering with us early on in the process.”

Lupien added it brings critically needed economic development to the Native American and rural Arizona communities it runs through.

“These are two of the biggest things we’re most proud of. We’re really looking forward to what a Native American workforce can do,” Lupien said.

Half of the Hopi and Navajo reservation have reluctantly left the Four Corners region to pursue opportunities in other parts of the country, according to Lupien.

As one of 14 national recipients under the Regional Infrastructure Accelerators (RIA) program, the I-40 TradePort Corridor will kick off with a key stretch in Northern Arizona. Scottsdale-based Atlas Global Development Group will focus its efforts on the I-40 corridor between Kingman and Winslow, known as the I40TPC Winslow.

The I40TPC Winslow acts as the first critical leg of a next-generation national freight and cargo corridor system that is constructed over an integrated clean energy, high-efficiency cargo management platform.

“We’re embracing many of the new technologies and solutions that are coming out to showcase how they can be assembled into one area,” Lupien said.