2003 U.S. Code
Title 23 - HIGHWAYS
CHAPTER 1 - FEDERAL-AID HIGHWAYS
SUBCHAPTER I - GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec. 162 - National scenic byways program

View Metadata

§162. National scenic byways program

(a) Designation of Roads.—

(1) In general.—The Secretary shall carry out a national scenic byways program that recognizes roads having outstanding scenic, historic, cultural, natural, recreational, and archaeological qualities by designating the roads as National Scenic Byways or All-American Roads.

(2) Criteria.—The Secretary shall designate roads to be recognized under the national scenic byways program in accordance with criteria developed by the Secretary.

(3) Nomination.—To be considered for the designation, a road must be nominated by a State or a Federal land management agency and must first be designated as a State scenic byway or, in the case of a road on Federal land, as a Federal land management agency byway.

(b) Grants and Technical Assistance.—

(1) In general.—The Secretary shall make grants and provide technical assistance to States to—

(A) implement projects on highways designated as National Scenic Byways or All-American Roads, or as State scenic byways; and

(B) plan, design, and develop a State scenic byway program.

(2) Priorities.—In making grants, the Secretary shall give priority to—

(A) each eligible project that is associated with a highway that has been designated as a National Scenic Byway or All-American Road and that is consistent with the corridor management plan for the byway;

(B) each eligible project along a State-designated scenic byway that is consistent with the corridor management plan for the byway, or is intended to foster the development of such a plan, and is carried out to make the byway eligible for designation as a National Scenic Byway or All-American Road; and

(C) each eligible project that is associated with the development of a State scenic byway program.

(c) Eligible Projects.—The following are projects that are eligible for Federal assistance under this section:

(1) An activity related to the planning, design, or development of a State scenic byway program.

(2) Development and implementation of a corridor management plan to maintain the scenic, historical, recreational, cultural, natural, and archaeological characteristics of a byway corridor while providing for accommodation of increased tourism and development of related amenities.

(3) Safety improvements to a State scenic byway, National Scenic Byway, or All-American Road to the extent that the improvements are necessary to accommodate increased traffic and changes in the types of vehicles using the highway as a result of the designation as a State scenic byway, National Scenic Byway, or All-American Road.

(4) Construction along a scenic byway of a facility for pedestrians and bicyclists, rest area, turnout, highway shoulder improvement, passing lane, overlook, or interpretive facility.

(5) An improvement to a scenic byway that will enhance access to an area for the purpose of recreation, including water-related recreation.

(6) Protection of scenic, historical, recreational, cultural, natural, and archaeological resources in an area adjacent to a scenic byway.

(7) Development and provision of tourist information to the public, including interpretive information about a scenic byway.

(8) Development and implementation of a scenic byway marketing program.

(d) Limitation.—The Secretary shall not make a grant under this section for any project that would not protect the scenic, historical, recreational, cultural, natural, and archaeological integrity of a highway and adjacent areas.

(e) Savings Clause.—The Secretary shall not withhold any grant or impose any requirement on a State as a condition of providing a grant or technical assistance for any scenic byway unless the requirement is consistent with the authority provided in this chapter.

(f) Federal Share.—The Federal share of the cost of carrying out a project under this section shall be 80 percent, except that, in the case of any scenic byway project along a public road that provides access to or within Federal or Indian land, a Federal land management agency may use funds authorized for use by the agency as the non-Federal share.

(Added Pub. L. 105–178, title I, §1219(a), June 9, 1998, 112 Stat. 219.)