ATLANTA – The Federal Highway Administration has designated two Georgia highways as “alternative fuel corridors” for the purpose of facilitating the construction of electric vehicle charging stations.
U.S. 441 from Cornelia in Northeast Georgia south to Dublin and U.S. 82 from Brunswick west to Albany will add 25%, or approximately 330 miles, to the state’s EV charging network.
“Convenient access to electric vehicle charging stations is critical to innovating and expanding Georgia’s transportation network,” state Commissioner of Transportation Russell McMurry said Thursday.
“These federal designations are important because they signify Georgia’s commitment to alternative fuel options in every part of the state.”
The two highways were selected based on such factors as their location near major job clusters, access to tourism sites, the high share of EV sales in nearby counties, and their proximity to hurricane evacuation routes.
The designations also are expected to enhance Georgia’s chances of landing federal funds from the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure spending bill Congress passed last fall. The legislation earmarked $5 billion in grants to support EV charging stations.
The Georgia Department of Transportation announced last week that it is working with Chicago-based commercial real estate company JLL to plan a network of EV charging stations around the state.
About 30,000 electric vehicles are on Georgia roads today being serviced by more than 1,300 publicly available charging stations with an estimated 3,400 individual outlets.
A legislative study committee created by the General Assembly during this year’s session is expected to begin working soon toward developing a plan for expanding the supply of EV charging stations.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.