Analyze the Existing America's Byways® Collection

Program Administration – Organizational Resources and Roles

The National Scenic Byways Program is administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration in partnership with other Federal agencies and State and Tribal governments.

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

FHWA manages the National Scenic Byways Program from its headquarters in Washington, DC. Beyond providing Program and policy direction, the agency's primary functions include:

• soliciting, reviewing, and awarding grants to fund byway projects;
• soliciting, reviewing, and selecting nominations for the designation of National Scenic Byways or All-American Roads;
• national and international marketing of National Scenic Byways and All-American Roads as America's Byways®; and
• providing a website for people interested in traveling America's Byways (www.byways.org), and another website for the byways community tailored to support the agency's core functions of grants, nominations, and national and international marketing (www.bywaysonline.org).

FHWA Division Offices in each State play an important role by reviewing byway nominations and grant applications from the States and Indian Tribes and providing administration and oversight of projects funded under the National Scenic Byways Program.

America's Byways Resource Center (ABRC)

The America's Byways Resource Center, through a cooperative agreement with the FHWA, supports the National Scenic Byways Program from its offices in Duluth, Minnesota. The Center's primary functions include:

• developing and disseminating education, training, and communication materials;
• providing direct technical assistance to byway groups via e–mail, phone, video conferencing, presentations, facilitated workshops, and site visits;
• providing a website to support the Center's core functions of education, training, and information dissemination (http://www.bywaysresourcecenter.org/);
• planning and organizing the National Scenic Byways Conference; and
• providing outreach to Indian tribe byway coordinators and Tribal governments through a Tribal liaison byway specialist.

National Scenic Byways Online (NSBO)

The NSBO team, under contract between the Federal Highway Administration and Multimedia Data Services Corporation, supports the National Scenic Byways Program from its offices in Logan, Utah. NSBO's primary functions include:

• developing websites and Internet applications to increase the visibility of America's Byways and the National Scenic Byways Program on the Internet;
• providing research and support services to maintain a comprehensive inventory of the America's Byways® collection;
• creating and supporting web–based tools to support the Program's nomination and grant solicitations; and
• creating electronic media and e–marketing products to promote the America's Byways collection.