Interstate 40 links eight states along its 2,500 mile run from Barstow in southern California to Wilmington, North Carolina, on the Atlantic Coast. On the county level, 15 counties logged 10 or more new projects in the 2024-2025 timeframe, according to Site Selection’s proprietary Conway Projects Database, some significantly more. These include San Bernardino County, California (55 projects), and Bernalillo County, New Mexico (25 projects), where I-40 passes through the Albuquerque metro.
Most new capital investment projects along I-40, however, are sited on eastern stretches of the highway with seven North Carolina counties and three in Tennessee among the 15 with double-digit new project counts. Between the western counties mentioned and the 10 in North Carolina and Tennessee can be found Oklahoma County (Oklahoma City); Potter County, Texas (Amarillo); and Pulaski County, Arkansas (Little Rock).
From east to west, following are highlights of project activity in the 15 busiest counties by recent capital investment.
NORTH CAROLINA
New Hanover County: 13 projects
Key Project: Frontier Scientific Solutions LLC is building a 500,000-sq.-ft. GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) temperature-controlled facility designed for the life sciences industry at Wilmington International Airport.
Most Active Sectors: Machinery, Equipment & Construction; Transport & Logistics
Wake County: 62 projects
Key Project: Genentech, part of the Roche Group, is investing $700 million in a new manufacturing facility in Holly Springs to support production of the company’s future portfolio of metabolic medicines, including next-generation treatments for obesity.
Most Active Sectors: Machinery, Equipment & Construction; Business & Financial Services; Life Sciences
Durham County: 24 projects
Key Project: Biogen Inc. is investing $2 billion to expand its manufacturing operation in Research Triangle Park to advance the company’s late-stage clinical pipeline.
Most Active Sectors: Life Sciences, Aerospace
Alamance County: 14 projects
Key Project: Morinaga America Foods, a confectionary company headquartered in Japan, will invest $136 million to expand its manufacturing facility in Mebane, North Carolina; the physical site is in the part of Mebane that is in Orange County.
Most Active Sectors: Machinery, Equipment & Construction; Automotive
Guilford County: 39 projects
Key Project: ADUSA Distribution and ADUSA Transportation are building an $860 million distribution center in Burlington to grow the supply chain network, which serves Ahold Delhaize USA’s omnichannel grocery brands on the East Coast, including Food Lion in North Carolina.
Most Active Sectors: IT & Communications, Metals, Transport & Logistics
Forsyth County: 18 projects
Key Project: John Deere is investing $70 million to build a new 380,000-sq.-ft. factory in Kernersville that will produce small excavators.
Most Active Sectors: Consumer Products, Automotive
Iredell County: 15 projects
Key Project: ADDMAN invested $57 million to acquire Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing and is occupying its 70,000 sq. ft. of space in Statesville.
Most Active Sectors: Machinery, Equipment & Construction; Metals; Consumer Products
TENNESSEE
Wilson County: 16 projects
Key Project: Amazon purchased a distribution facility in Lebanon for $116 million in the Speedway Industrial Park.
Most Active Sectors: Transport & Logistics, Automotive
Davidson County: 42 projects
Key Project: Food and beverage distributor Reyes Holdings paid $63 million for a 40-acre site in Nashville with a 575,000-sq.-ft. building.
Most Active Sectors: Business & Financial Services, Life Sciences
Shelby County: 23 projects
Key Project: Hyosung HICO is investing $157 million to construct a new facility at its U.S. headquarters in Memphis. It will expand the company’s manufacturing capacity by an additional 50%.
Most Active Sectors: Life Sciences, Chemicals & Plastics, Electronics
ARKANSAS
Pulaski County: 15 projects
Key Project: Welspun Tubular LLC is investing $150 million to establish a new Longitudinally Submerged Arc Welded (LSAW) line pipe mill and coating facility at its existing site in Little Rock.
Most Active Sectors: Metals, Transport & Logistics
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma County: 23 projects
Key Project: Light pole manufacturer Kearney-National plans to invest $50 million in a new manufacturing facility in Oklahoma City.
Most Active Sectors: Machinery, Equipment & Construction; Transportation & Logistics
TEXAS
Potter County: 15 projects
Key Project: Wholesale distributor Affiliated Foods Inc. is investing $31 million in a facility in Amarillo.
Most Active Sectors: Machinery, Equipment & Construction; Business & Financial Services; Aerospace
NEW MEXICO
Bernalillo County: 25 projects
Key Project: Netflix has committed $2 billion in investment in Albuquerque, including four new soundstages, three mills, one production office and two stage support buildings.
Most Active Sectors: Energy, Aerospace, Chemicals & Plastics, IT & Communications
CALIFORNIA
San Bernardino County: 55 projects
Key Project: Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling is investing $500 million in an expansion of its facility in Rancho Cucamonga.
Most Active Sectors: Transportation & Logistics; Machinery, Equipment & Construction
