DEAN OF THE HOUSE SUPPORT LETTER Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dean of the House highlights Somerset Northern Bypass (already designated I-66) as a critical link in the future interstate corridor Congressman Hal Rogers reaffirms support for the East-West TransAmerica Corridor (I-66), citing $82 million in secured funding for Kentucky’s I-66 connection.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MISSOURI — SEPTEMBER 1, 2026

TransAmerica Corridor, Inc. today announced that U.S. Representative Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-05), Dean of the House and Chairman Emeritus of the House Committee on Appropriations, has written in support of ongoing efforts to complete and extend the congressionally authorized East-West TransAmerica Corridor, designated Future Interstate 66.

In an August 28, 2026 letter to TAC President & Executive Director Robert Spurlock, Rogers detailed his work advancing the corridor in southern Kentucky since it was first added to the federal High Priority Corridor List in 1991. Rogers stated he has secured two Community Project Funding requests totaling $82 million for construction of the Northern Bypass in Somerset, Kentucky; a project he described as building a primary connection (I-365) for the future interstate, ultimately linking I-65 to I-75.

The Somerset Northern Bypass already carries an explicit “(I-66)” designation in the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s FY2026–2032 Six-Year Highway Plan and the state’s Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), where the designation appears in multiple project line items. Rogers’ letter marks the first time a project of this scale and funding level tied to that designated segment has been described in writing by the appropriator who secured it.

“Monumental transportation projects, like I-66, are the seeds we plant for a brighter future in America. I am especially interested in this project, because of the generational impact it would have in one of the most impoverished areas of the country, providing unlimited opportunities for more jobs, better healthcare and education, and a direct route to boost our tourism economy in Kentucky’s beautiful Appalachian region.”

— U.S. Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers, August 28, 2026

“Congressman Rogers has been a steady champion of transportation access in southern Kentucky for decades, and this letter puts real numbers behind that commitment,” said Robert Spurlock, President & Executive Director of TransAmerica Corridor, Inc. “When you combine his secured funding with the fact that the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has already labeled this segment as I-66 in its own six-year plan and in the Kentucky STIP, you see a corridor that is moving from vision to construction.”
TAC noted that Rogers’ letter reflects continued, general support for the corridor’s completion and does not constitute an endorsement of any specific pending federal legislation. TAC continues to work with the Congressionally Authorized Future Interstates (CAFI) Coalition to secure a dedicated multi-state future interstate highway formula funding program as part of the pending federal surface transportation reauthorization.

The East-West TransAmerica Corridor spans approximately 2,300 miles from Hampton Roads, Virginia to San Diego and San Luis Obispo, California, across ultimately twelve states. The corridor was included in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 and further codified under the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995. It’s labeled as Corridor 3 on the High Priority Corridor List and is one of 14 (including one auxiliary) multi-state future interstates authorized by Congress.

A preliminary internal analysis, building on original economic research conducted by Dr. Lonnie Haefner, indicates that completion of the East-West TransAmerica Corridor could change the average cost of living along the route by more than 25 percent against the national average.

“For the first time since the original interstate system was constructed, a major east-west corridor like this would route through portions of the country with some of the highest poverty, and as a result, it will change the economic development efforts in those areas,” Spurlock said.