The Louisiana Office of Tourism, along with the 9 additional states through which the Great River Road National Scenic Byway runs, is planning the submission of the Louisiana’s Great River Road byway for designation as an All-American Road.
In September, the “Reviving America’s Scenic Byways Act of 2019,” set the requirement for The U.S. Secretary of Transportation to re-open the application process within 90 days and to designate a round of new National Scenic Byways or All-American Roads within one year.
Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser said, “The Louisiana Great River Road includes hundreds of miles of history and a wide variety of ways to Feed Your Soul. The byway runs from the Louisiana/Arkansas state line all the way to the mouth of the Mississippi River.”
Under the National Scenic Byways Program, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation recognizes roads as All-American Roads based on their fulfillment of at least two of six intrinsic qualities: archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, or scenic. There are 150 distinct roads designated as National Scenic Byways or All-American Roads. Louisiana’s Creole Nature Trail in southwest Louisiana is a designated All-American Road, the highest designation a byway can receive.
Louisiana’s Great River Road is one of the state’s 19 scenic byways designed to take visitors through the state’s culture, geography and history.
It is part of the Great River Road National Scenic Byway, which stretches for over 2,000 miles and through 10 states. For more information about Louisiana’s Byways Program, visit byways.louisianatravel.com.