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Washington,
DC – May 2023 / Newsmaker Alert: The
U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA) announces $21.8 million in grants for 33 National
Scenic Byways Program projects, including five grants awarded to Tribal
applicants. The grants
announced – which recognize outstanding scenic, historic, cultural,
natural resources and archaeological sites – will deliver on the President’s
Investing in America agenda help improve facilities, make safety upgrades,
and provide interpretive information along roads in 29 States.
“FHWA
is proud to award these grants that will help make travel safer, provide
more enjoyable access, and support local businesses along scenic byways
across the country,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt.
“Scenic routes provide myriad ways to explore the United States, and it’s
no wonder that since its inception in 1992, the National Scenic Byways
Program has received broad support from Members of Congress, State and
local officials, and the public.”
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The
announcement adds to the list of more than 3,200 National Scenic Byways
Program grants since the start of the program. Awards include the following
grants:
The
California
Department of Transportation will receive $96,000 to fund repairs at
Sierra County’s Kentucky Mine Historical Park (site of the only full-scale
gold mine stamp mill machine on the West Coast) along the Yuba River State
Scenic Byway in order to sustain and promote the byway’s tourism economy,
preserve it for future generations, and improve the habitat of a threatened
bat species.
The
Iowa
Department of Transportation will receive approximately $714,000 to
install 51 thematic kiosks at key entry points and high use areas on the
State’s 14 scenic byways. The grant will help to provide traveler-focused
interpretation, maps, and information to welcome visitors, orient them
along their route, and help them understand, appreciate, and experience
the intrinsic qualities, resources, and attractions of each byway.
The
Forest
County Potawatomi Community Tribe in Wisconsin will receive approximately
$302,000 to enhance the Tribe’s biking and pedestrian trail by designing
and constructing four culturally interpretive rest areas along a path which
parallels the Nicolet-Wolf River Scenic Byway, adding cultural artwork
to the biking/pedestrian underpass and installing wayfinding signage.
The
Oklahoma
Department of Transportation will receive a $1 million grant to improve
safety by adding a turn lane and 8-foot shoulders along roughly 1.3 miles
of the Historic Route 66 National Scenic Byway in Oklahoma County, which
also will increase recreational opportunities and generate economic activity
from cyclists traveling along Bicycle Route 66.
The
Rhode
Island Department of Transportation will receive $750,000 in funding
to repair a badly damaged sea wall, improve drainage, and replace sidewalk
and curbing as part of the Hope Street Pedestrian and Resiliency Enhancements
project at the Revolutionary Heritage National Scenic Byway.
The
full list of grants can
be found here.
Established
by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 and administered
by FHWA, the National Scenic Byways Program is a grass-roots collaborative
effort established to help recognize, preserve, and enhance roads throughout
the United States designated as America’s Byways.
In
February 2021, FHWA announced 49 designations to the America’s Byways®
collection, including 15 All-American Roads and 34 National Scenic Byways
in 28 States. These designations increased the number of America’s Byways®
to 184 in 48 States.
Learn
more about the National
Scenic Byways Program.
President
Biden’s Investing in America
agenda is growing the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out
– from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to driving over $435 billion
in private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United
States, to creating good paying jobs and building a clean-energy economy
that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient.
Media
Contact:
FHWA.PressOffice@dot.gov
Phone:
202-366-0660
Announcement:
FHWA 18-23 |