Meeting the moment: North Carolina’s race to keep up with growth

OPINION:

To understand why businesses are choosing North Carolina, start in the 6th Congressional District.

From here, you’re about two hours from the Blue Ridge Mountains and three hours from the beaches on the Atlantic coast. The Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina is a great place to raise a family and build a business — and it’s only a bonus that we have the best barbecue in the state, and therefore the country.

Major interstate corridors run through the heart of our region. Rail lines connect manufacturers to ports and distribution hubs across the East Coast. Within a day’s drive, businesses can reach more than half the U.S. population.

Top-notch infrastructure is not an accident. In partnership with the federal government, the state can invest in highways, rail corridors and freight infrastructure that allow goods to move quickly and efficiently.

North Carolina manages the second-largest state-maintained road system in the nation, with more than 80,000 miles of state highways, roughly 13,800 bridges and more than 3,300 miles of rail corridors. This infrastructure is a key factor companies consider when they choose to invest in my home district — and those investments are not slowing down.

In Cabarrus County, Red Bull is building a 2.3-million-square-foot manufacturing and distribution campus. When fully operational, the facility will produce three billion cans annually, all of which will need to be distributed efficiently. That level of production is only possible because the infrastructure exists to move products quickly and reliably.

SBA Home is investing $70 million redeveloping a 500,000-square-foot facility into a furniture manufacturing plant producing ready-to-assemble furniture for companies such as IKEA. SBA Home expects to produce and distribute two million pieces of furniture annually out of their Davie County facility by 2028, all of which will rely on strong infrastructure to reach customers across the country.

John Deere in Forsyth County is expanding its manufacturing with a new excavator factory, part of their long-term commitment to invest billions in U.S. production. Nearby, logistics company XPO has opened its largest service center in the country, a 265,000-square-foot facility on 70 acres that serves as a critical hub for freight.

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These investments make up billions of dollars flowing into our communities, and they demand infrastructure capable of supporting them. Factories must connect to freight corridors. Distribution centers depend on reliable highways. And the supply chains powering American manufacturing rely on safe rail, efficient roads and transportation systems that move goods without delay.

Economic growth at this scale relies on infrastructure that can keep up and meet the moment.

Congress has a job to do. As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, these are exactly the kinds of challenges I look forward to addressing as we prepare the next surface transportation bill.

From ensuring our roads are safe for truckers by expanding safe truck parking along major freight routes to restoring the Highway Trust Fund so it actually works for states like North Carolina, targeted federal actions must ensure our infrastructure remains safe and efficient.

In 2024, Hurricane Helene swept across western North Carolina, destroying more than 1,500 roads, damaging countless bridges, flooding entire communities and overwhelming water systems throughout the region. In total, damages are estimated to reach nearly $60 billion.

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While many in Washington look at this from a 30-thousand-foot view, North Carolinians know rebuilding a road, erecting a bridge, and ensuring communities have reliable water infrastructure is about much more than a price tag. It means families can actually begin to rebuild their lives, remain where their families have lived for decades and restore the businesses that are the cornerstone of the community.

The last surface transportation bill, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), was weighed down with politically motivated environmental programs that ultimately strayed from the Department of Transportation’s core mission. A new surface transportation bill will be an opportunity for Congress to rectify the failures of the IIJA and double down on the process that we know works.

As we strengthen and rebuild our state to be stronger, we must keep in mind the transportation needs that lie ahead.

Companies from around the world are looking at North Carolina and making long-term bets on our state. It is our job as North Carolinians to keep the momentum moving forward and meet the moment because if we do, we can lead the nation in manufacturing, logistics and economic opportunity for decades to come.

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• Addison McDowell represents North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives and is a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.