The preservation of historic roads is important to the preservation of national heritage and culture. Both governmental and non-governmental agencies have created programs intended to create an appreciation for and safeguard historic roads and the social history they embody. Examples of programs and projects in historic road preservation are listed below.

Bureau of Land Management administers 261 million acres of America's public lands including numerous historic roads. Visit www.blm.gov for more information on BLM's historic road preservation efforts.
Historic Roads describes efforts to identify, preserve, and manage historic roads nationwide.
Rural Heritage Program (RHP) of the National Trust for Historic Preservation is a leader in the movement to recognize roads as historic resources. Visit the website to learn about RHP's historic roads' projects.

Route 66, the United States' first all-weather highway linking Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California, reflects the national evolution of road transportation. Organizations with the mission of preserving this historically significant highway are described below.

Oklahoma Route 66 — Includes construction history, links to official records, maps, and a picture gallery.
National Historic Route 66 Federation — The National Historic Route 66 Federation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving US Highway Route 66 and the landmarks and communities through which the route passes.
Route 66 Corridor Preservation — In 1999 Congress passed an Act to create the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, in response to the recognized need to preserve the rich resources of the historic highway. The National Park Service administers the program.

Phillips 66 Gas Station on Route 66-McLean, TX
(Courtesy of the National Route 66 Federation)

The Lincoln Highway is a 3300-mile long road stretching across the United States from New York City to San Francisco. Its creation was the result of the first successful effort to build an all-weather transcontinental highway specifically for automobiles. The National Park Service is currently coordinating a Special Resource Study of the Lincoln Highway to evaluate the highway and related resources and present management alternatives for its long-term preservation. Other sites related to the Lincoln Highway may be found below.

The Lincoln Highway Association is dedicated to preserving and promoting the Nation's first transcontinental highway for the automobile.
While the Lincoln Highway runs from coast to coast, Pennsylvania has designated a six-county region as the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor. The LHHC works to promote economic development through tourism grant programs and community beautification projects.

Additional Road Resources

America's Byways, FHWA's National Scenic Byways Program, is a grass-roots collaborative effort established to help recognize, preserve, and enhance selected roads throughout the United States.
Saving Historic Roads (1998, John Wiley and Sons, New York), written by Dan Marriott, Director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, provides useful and practical information for historic preservation specialists, engineers, and others regarding the preservation of historic roads. You can order your copy at www.nthpbooks.org.
In anticipation of its fiftieth anniversary in 2006, FHWA is developing a Context Study for the Interstate Highway System. Watch this site for the full text of the study to be available Spring, 2005.

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