We have made a great deal of progress in Alabama and have several projects completed and additional projects underway.

Major Projects: The Inventory | Program Development | Marketing/Outreach

The Inventory:

Map highlighting some of the over 400 suggested roadways (click to zoom)

The Alabama Association of Regional Councils (AARC) received a Transportation Enhancement grant from the Alabama Department of Transportation to compile a statewide inventory of potential scenic byways in Alabama. The Alabama Department of Tourism and Travel provided the matching funds for this grant. The purpose of the inventory project was threefold: to determine, through a survey, which roadways local officials, economic development and tourism professionals, and other interested groups and individuals feel are the most attractive drives through the state; to show, bymapping the roads identified on the surveys, where the potential exists to develop an interconnected network of scenic byways that will offer travelers alternate routes to their destinations and increase visits to less-traveled areas of the state; and to create a tool that the Scenic Byways Advisory Council can use in developing and promoting the scenic byways program. The AARC partnered with its twelve member regions, which were tasked with identifying scenic roadways within their respective regions and reporting their findings. Each of the 12 regional councils distributed surveys–with an accompanying cover letter–to elected officials, city and county staff, chamber of commerce staff, tourism representatives, historic preservation groups, civic groups, local media, and other community leaders and local contacts. In addition to the mailings, some regions posted the survey on their website, left copies of the survey in their lobby, distributed surveys at meetings, inserted the survey form into the agency’s newsletter, and/or distributed the survey to agency staff. A total of 6900 surveys were distributed. These efforts resulted in the receipt of 428 surveys, some of which contained multiple roadway recommendations. This figure includes surveys received by the Advisory Council, which were distributed to the respective regions.

Program Development

Program Manual Developed for Alabama's Scenic Byways

The Program Development portion of the scenic byways program was undertaken by the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPC), working with funding from the Federal Highway Administration and the Alabama Department of Transportation. Working closely with the Scenic Byways Advisory Council through every step, the RPC selected a consultant, TEI Engineers and Planners. The Program Manual is the product of this work.
The Program Manual provides the necessary guidance for a corridor to achieve an Alabama Scenic Byway Designation. Applicants should familiarize themselves with the entire Manual before initiating Byway activities. It is the intent of the Alabama Scenic Byway Advisory Council that this Program Manual is self-explanatory. However, the Manual cannot address every situation and questions will arise that need additional guidance. When this occurs, applicants are encouraged to contact their local Scenic Byway Coordinator at the appropriate Regional Planning Commission. The required activities and actions for each phase of the Alabama Scenic Byway Program are documented in the following sections.

• Eligibility: The Eligibility Phase instructs the applicant on how to initiate the Alabama Scenic Byway process. At the conclusion of this phase, the applicant will have identified and documented all resources along the Corridor and presented this information to the Scenic Byway Advisory Council so that a determination can be made as to whether or not the corridor should move forward for development of a Corridor Management Plan in the Designation Phase.
• Designation: The Designation Phase instructs the applicant on preparation of the Corridor Management Plan. As part of this phase the applicant will identify an Action Plan for preservation, protection and enhancement of resources identified along the Corridor during the Eligibility Phase.
• Implementation: The Implementation Phase carries out the actions identified in the Corridor Management Plan. As part of this phase, monitoring and reporting functions are established for regular evaluation and revision of the Corridor Management Plan to meet changing conditions along the Byway.
• Appendices: Appendices are included containing supplemental information to assist with completion of the requirements identified in the Eligibility, Designation and Implementation Phases.

The Alabama Scenic Byway Program encourages a “grass roots” approach with interested, local residents carrying a Byway through the process to implementation. It is the intent of the Alabama Scenic Byway Advisory Council that this Program Manual serve as workbook and “how to” guide that will empower local groups to become involved with the Byway process.

Marketing/Outreach:

The Alabama Association of Regional Councils (AARC) received a National Scenic Byway grant from the Alabama Department of Transportation. These funds will be used to produce a variety of materials to better reach those who may be interested in helping a road in their community become a scenic byway. They include the following:

• A Marketing Plan
• Newsletters
• A Website
• A Pilot Project
• Press releases
• A Press Kit
• A statewide map and brochure
• Public Outreach

Although this project is in the early stages of development (most of the work to-date has been in public outreach and information-gathering), the Alabama Association of Regional Councils has already received a 2003 Innovation Award from the National Association of Development Organizations for their part in marketing the program to Alabama’s communities.

A technical committee has been formed by the Scenic Byways Advisory Council to help with marketing the program and to provide assistance in making certain that the program continues to develop effectively. Additionally, a website has been established (www.alabamabyways.org) and several roadways interested in becoming scenic byways have been identified. These roadways include a corridor near Mobile that would travel to Dauphin Island, across the bay via ferry (one of the few byways in the United States) to Gulf Shores; a corridor in North Alabama near Mentone and Desoto State Park, currently designated as the Lookout Mountain Parkway; a corridor that travels through the Bankhead National Forest and the Sipsey Wilderness Area; and a corridor that travels along some of Blount County’s back roads, bringing travelers near some of the beautiful covered bridges.

Alabama Scenic Byways | info@alabamabyways.org
c/o Alabama Association of Regional Councils
5900 Carmichael Road| Montgomery, AL 36117| 334.277.2221