State Designation

Any highway or road submitted for designation under the National Scenic Byways Program by state or federal agencies should be designated as a State scenic byway. However, roads that meet all criteria and requirements for National designation but not state or federal agencies designation criteria may be considered for national designation on a case-by-case basis. Any road nominated for the National Scenic Byway will be considered to be a designated State scenic byway.

 

Vehicle Accommodation

A road or highway must safely and conveniently accommodate two-wheel-drive automobiles with standard clearances to be considered for designation as a National Scenic Byway.

 

Bikes and Pedestrians

Roads or highways considered for National Scenic Byways designations should accommodate, wherever feasible, bicycle and pedestrian travel.

 

Corridor Management Plan Submittal

A scenic byways corridor management plan, prepared in accordance with Paragraph 9 of the Interim Policy for National Scenic Byways (published in the Federal Register on May 18, 1995) must be submitted in order for any road or highway to be considered for the National Scenic Byway designation.

 

Continuity

An important criteria for the National Scenic Byways is continuity. They should not have too many gaps but rather should be as continuous as possible and should minimize intrusions on the visitor's experience.

 

Regional Significance

To be designated as a National Scenic Byway, a road or highway must significantly meet at least one of the six scenic byways intrinsic qualities. The characteristics associated with the intrinsic qualities are those that are distinct and most representative of the region. The significance of the features contributing to the distinctive characteristics of the corridor's intrinsic quality are recognized throughout the region.