National Scenic Byways program revived
The Reviving America’s Scenic Byways Act (S. 349) passed the U.S. Senate by voice vote on Sept. 9 and was signed by the president. The bill passed the House in February. The bill requires the Secretary of Transportation to request nominations for, and make determinations regarding, roads to be designated under the national scenic byways program, which has been closed for six years.
The AMA was part of the coalition that helped create this program in 1991 and is part of a coalition now intent on reviving the program.
Many of the country’s favorite motorcycling roads are National Scenic Byways and benefit from the resources provided to preserve and enhance them. From the Blue Ridge Parkway, stretching 469 miles from North Carolina to Virginia, to the Beartooth Highway between Montana and Wyoming, to Hells Canyon in Oregon, there are 150 roads designated as National Scenic Byways.
The program provides resources that help communities along these byways benefit from the tourism they generate, while preserving the characteristics of the roads that made them great destinations in the first place. Officials are prepared to seek National Scenic Byway designation for 44 roads in 24 states as soon as the program is restarted.