"The project is intended to provide the newest and most comprehensive center available for testing and development of automotive-related products," said Gary Brown, of Northampton County Economic Development.
The project could mean up to 500 jobs locally and a ripple effect for as many as 20,000 jobs statewide. The public-private partnership would have a wide range of projects from university engineering designs to the federal government's willingness to test new alternative fuels.
The cost to the state would be $4 million, plus a bunch of tax breaks for whoever builds the testing facility.
"I think this is a very targeted area for an area that's very depressed economically as far as jobs go," said state Rep. Lucy Allen, D-Halifax.
Northampton County is working on securing nearly 1,000 acres of land on I-95. The site is not far from from a new regional airport near Roanoke Rapids that is scheduled to open in three years.
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