Category 6: Resource Protection
Category Description
Protection of scenic, historical, recreational, cultural, natural, and archeological resources in an area adjacent to a scenic byway. [23 U.S.C. 162(c)(6)]
Category 6 provides funding to byways to protect specific resources. Typical projects have included: preservation plans; studies prepared for regulatory changes, such as overlay zones or site plan review; funding to acquire easements and development rights; the purchase, restoration, or improvement of land, property, or a historic building as a byway interpretive facility; restoration or improvement to historic highway features that form the byway's story; or removal of an outdoor advertising sign, display, or device. Innovative projects have included outreach programs related to invasive plant species and the preparation of open space plans.
As shown in Table 20, 62 such projects were funded from 2001 to 2006. Almost $14 million in byway funds leveraged $34 million in overall investment. The leverage ratio was $1.47, well above the minimum $0.20 requirement.
| Year | Number of Projects |
Total Project Costs |
Total Grant Funding |
Dollars Leveraged Per Program Dollar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 7 | $2,729,400 | $874,460 | $2.12 |
| 2002 | 11 | $7,369,679 | $3,902,875 | $0.89 |
| 2003 | 14 | $4,598,925 | $3,363,566 | $0.37 |
| 2004 | 8 | $2,064,366 | $1,133,489 | $0.82 |
| 2005 | 6 | $7,308,152 | $2,480,516 | $1.95 |
| 2006 | 16 | $10,359,251 | $2,164,893 | $3.79 |
| Total | 62 | $34,429,773 | $13,919,799 | $1.47 |
Figure 18 : Profile for Resource Protection Grant Impacts
Relevant Project: San Juan Skyway Preservation Plan
The San Juan Skyway in Colorado demonstrates how numerous byways have provided more than the 20 percent required match for byway projects. Using $6,800 in NSBP grant funding awarded in 1997, the byway provided a match of $27,200 from the Colorado State Historic Fund and $5,000 from Fort Lewis College to develop a comprehensive preservation plan for historic mining and railroad sites and landscapes along the byway.[1]
The plan provided the initial research, documentation, and cost estimates necessary to scope needed individual preservation projects. It allowed the byway to move forward with comprehensive action to secure the needed human, fiscal, and legal resources needed to preserve the historic and scenic character of the byway.
San Juan Skyway, Colorado
- Source: The Road Beckons: Best Practices for Byways, AASHTO, 2001. ^ back
