Participation by the States and Indian Tribes
States and Indian tribes participate in the National Scenic Byways Program in two ways: (1) by establishing their own State or Tribal scenic byways programs, including designating State and Indian tribe scenic byways and applying for Program funds for planning and byway improvements; and (2) by nominating State and Indian tribe byways for designation as National Scenic Byways or All-American Roads.
To date, byways in 44 States have received National Scenic Byway or All-American Road designations (Table 4 ). Currently, there are no nationally designated byway routes in six States, (Hawaii, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Texas), the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. However, several of the States without national byways are in the process of considering nominating routes to the national Program. The number of States participating has increased in each designation round.
| Designation Round | National Scenic Byway | All-American Roads | All Designated Roads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 12 | 6 | 15 |
| 1998 | 18 | 2 | 18 |
| 2000 | 17 | 4 | 19 |
| 2002 | 15 | 14 | 22 |
| 2005 | 25 | 4 | 26 |
| All Years | 42 | 25 | 44 |
While there are several nationally designated byways on Tribal lands, the only byway that has been sponsored by an Indian tribe is the Pyramid Lake Scenic Byway in Nevada. As noted, SAFETEA-LU in 2005 amended the National Scenic Byways Program to include Indian tribes. The Program now recognizes the right of Indian tribes to establish their own Indian tribe scenic byways and byway programs, and to directly nominate their byways to FHWA for national designation. As this amendment occurred after the 2005 nomination/designation cycle, Indian tribes have not yet had the opportunity to directly nominate their byways for national designation.
