PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A bill by U.S. Rep. David Cicilline to revive the National Scenic Byways Program has advanced in Congress.
The Rhode Island Democrat says the bill is headed to the U.S. Senate, where it’s been introduced by Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins. It passed the House Wednesday.
The Department of Transportation program designated 150 roads as “National Scenic Byways,” beginning in 1991. Congress stopped funding the program in 2012.
Cicilline says four states - Rhode Island, Hawaii, Nebraska and Texas - never received a designation and didn’t benefit from economic activity seen in states that did.
He wants them to be able to compete for a designation for roads that stand out for their scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational qualities.
Cicilline introduced the bill with Republican U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, of Louisiana.
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