Group tries for special U.S. 1 designation
 

By Robert Silk / Citizen Staff

Since Congress established the National Scenic Byways Program in 1991, 126 roads have been designated as either a National Scenic Byway or the more lofty title of All-American Road.

Among them are some roads you likely have heard of, such as Route 66, the Las Vegas Strip and California's Route 1, and some you might not know, like the Nebo Loop Scenic Byway in Utah and Kentucky's Wilderness Road Heritage Highway.

One that's visibly absent, however, is the Overseas Highway, the 126-mile road that connects some 100 Florida Keys islands by 42 bridges, with the turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other.

That's because no local group has ever bothered to apply, even though the state in 2001 designated it as "scenic" and the list of National Historic Sites includes three bridges: Long Key, Bahia Honda and, of course, the old Seven Mile.

The Florida Keys Scenic Corridor Alliance, a nonprofit organization of community leaders and activists, hopes to change that this fall, when the Federal Highway Administration reopens nominations -- for the first time since 2005.

"The Florida Keys Scenic Highway is absolutely my love," said Judy Hull, head of the alliance and executive director of the Islamorada Chamber of Commerce.

Hull previously helped shepherd the Great River Road, a multistate byway that runs along the Mississippi River, through the designation process. Applying, she said, is time-consuming and requires broad community support. The benefits, however, can be substantial.

National designation means instant status for a highway, of course. But it also can provide a boost to local economies. Scenic byways get free marketing through the federal government. They are also eligible for grants not available to other roads.

The National Scenic Byway Program last year doled out some $30.5 million in grants to 277 different projects. Overall, the program has awarded $308 million in grants since 1992.

Grant funds have gone toward everything from walking trails to interpretive stations to scenic overlooks to marketing plans.

Roads that receive the national scenic designation must be proven to have at least one of six intrinsic qualities: historic, cultural, natural, scenic, recreational or archeological.

The local alliance has set its sights on the more prestigious designation of All-American Road. To achieve that honor, a roadway must be proven to have two of those six intrinsic qualities.

With the Overseas Highway's sweeping views of bay and ocean, and with the many boating, fishing, diving and kayaking opportunities it delivers to travelers, the alliance has chosen to try prove its intrinsic scenic and recreational qualities. More substantially, to achieve All-American status, the alliance must prove the Overseas Highway is a destination unto itself.

Hull said that's a no-brainer. Should the road win the designation, the new status would help draw all kinds of visitors, she said.

"Some people want to go to all of the All-American roads, just like people want to go to all the national parks," she said at a recent Scenic Corridor Alliance meeting in Key Largo -- one of three the group held this month to drum up interest in the project.

But winning the designation, she said, also requires community support. State Rep. Ron Saunders, D-Key West, who attended the Key Largo meeting, is already on board.

"I think it would be a boon to the local economy and a boon to the people who live here and have to drive [the highway] all the time," Saunders said. "It would be a psychological benefit for the people who live here."

rsilk@keysnews.com