The State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on Wednesday approved 2,141 miles of new U.S. Bicycle Routes (USBRs) in five new states.
The routes include USBR 7 in Vermont, USBR 21 in Georgia, USBR 35, 36, and 50 in Indiana, USBR 76 in Kansas, and USBR 90 in Arizona. An alternate route for USBR 50 was also approved in Ohio.
The U.S. Bicycle Route System (USBRS) now encompasses 11,053 miles of routes in twenty-three states and the District of Columbia.
“State departments of transportation are making significant investments in bicycle facilities in urban and rural communities as more people choose bicycling to commute and to visit some of America’s most beautiful landscapes,” said Bud Wright, AASHTO executive director. “The U.S. Bicycle Route System is now connected through five additional states, giving cyclists more than 11,000 miles of routes to explore America while improving their health and well-being. State departments of transportation support all modes of travel, and expanding the USBRS creates healthier communities, promotes bicycle tourism, and encourages economic development.”
The U.S. Bicycle Route System (USBRS) is a developing national network of officially recognized, numbered, and signed bicycle routes that connect people, communities, and the nation. Similar to emerging international and regional networks, such as Europe’s EuroVelo network and Quebec’s La Route Verte, the USBRS provides important recreational and transportation options for the active traveler. Currently, more than forty states are working to develop route corridors into official U.S. Bicycle Routes to be approved by AASHTO at their spring and fall meetings. Eventually, the USBRS will exceed 50,000 miles and be the largest official cycle route network on the planet.
“What’s remarkable is that nearly all of the route designations have occurred in the last four years,” said
Adventure Cycling Executive Director Jim Sayer. “We look forward to providing continuing coordination and guidance to our state partners to establish official bicycle route connections in every state in the country.”
Details of the five new USBRs are available here.
The U.S. Bicycle Route System will eventually be the largest bicycle route network in the world, encompassing more than 50,000 miles of routes.
Adventure Cycling Association has provided dedicated staff-support to the project since 2005, including research support, meeting coordination, and technical guidance for states implementing routes. Adventure Cycling’s website provides resources and tools for route implementation, as well as links to maps and other resources for cyclists wishing to ride an established U.S. Bicycle Route.
AASHTO's support for the project is crucial to earning the support of federal and state agencies. AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. A powerful voice in the transportation sector, AASHTO's primary goal is to foster the development of an integrated national transportation system.
Support for the U.S. Bicycle Route System comes from Adventure Cycling members, donors, foundations, and a group of business sponsors that participate in the annual Build It. Bike It. Be a Part of It. fundraiser each May.
Learn more at www.adventurecycling.org/usbrs.
