United States Bicycle Route System

The United States Bicycle Route System (also U.S. Bicycle Routes, abbreviated USBRS) is a developing network of interstate long-distance cycling routes in the United States. The system utilizes multiple types of bicycling infrastructure, including off-road paths, bicycle lanes, and low-traffic roads. The USBRS is the bicycle equivalent to the system of United States Numbered Highways. Envisioned to traverse the entire country, the USBRS is analogous to other national cycling route networks such as the Dutch LF-routes, the United Kingdom's National Cycle Network, and is as comprehensive as the international EuroVelo network that spans Europe.

The USBRS was established in 1978 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the same body that coordinates the numbering of Interstate Highways and United States Numbered Highways. In 1982 the first two routes of the system were established, and remained the only two until the 2010s. Then, many proposed routes were moved into planning stages in 2010,^[2] and the system received its first major expansion in 2011; steady growth and interest in the system has followed since.^[3][4] As of 2014, 15 parent routes and three child routes extend 8,043 miles (12,944 km) across 16 states and the District of Columbia.^[1] The system, once fully connected, is projected to encompass over 50,000 miles (80,000 km) of bike routes.^[5]

Layout

Like United States Numbered Highways and many national routing systems, the U.S. Bicycle Route system is designed to roughly follow a grid. Mainline routes are the major cross-country routes and are represented with one- or two-digit numbers. Even-numbered routes are planned to primarily run east-west, with low-numbered routes in the north and high-numbered routes in the south. Odd-numbered routes will primarily run north-south, with low-numbered routes starting in the east and ascending in number toward the west. Three-digit numbers are assigned to auxiliary routes, with the last two digits denoting the parent that the auxiliary connects to. Much like other routing systems, the grid is sometimes violated; for example, U.S. Bicycle Route 76 (USBR 76) is projected to turn to the north in Colorado and end in Oregon as opposed to California, south of (and temporarily concurrent with) USBR 20 but far north of USBR 50.

The existing USBR 1 will be the easternmost route, though USBR 5 will run farther east of it in Virginia and the Carolinas. The westernmost and northernmost routes are USBR 97 and USBR 8, respectively, both of which are in the State of Alaska. Outside of Alaska, the westernmost route is expected to be USBR 95 and the northernmost USBR 10. USBR 90 is expected to be the southernmost route.^[6] Despite the analogy the system has to the U.S. Highway system, the USBRS's route numbers do not necessarily trace the same route as the corresponding U.S. Highway number; for example, while USBR 1 will run close to the East Coast and thus parallel U.S. Route 1 (US 1), the projected route of USBR 10 generally follows US 2.

In order for a route to qualify as a U.S. Bike Route, it needs to connect two or more states, connect multiple U.S. Bike Routes, or connect a U.S. Bike Route with a national border.

History

The USBRS was established in 1978 by the AASHTO for the purpose of "facilitat[ing] travel between the states over routes which have been identified as being more suitable than others for cycling."^[7]

The first routes were defined in 1982: U.S. Bicycle Route 1 (USBR 1) from North Carolina to Virginia, and the stretch of USBR 76 from Illinois through Kentucky to Virginia. These two routes remained the only routes in the system until 2011. In the interim, only minor routing changes had been made in Virginia.

AASHTO established a new task force in 2003 to study expansion of the system.^[2][8][9] The task force included state and federal highway officials and representatives from bicycling organizations. In October 2008, AASHTO approved a national-level corridor and route designation plan.^[10] Other organizations involved in the effort include state departments of transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Adventure Cycling Association.

In 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives proposed moving the U.S. Bicycle Route System under the authority of the Federal Highway Administration as part of a new Office of Livability.^[11]

In early May 2011, the first major expansion of the system was made. Five new parent routes, two child routes, and one alternate route were created, along with modifications to the existing routes in Virginia and the establishment of USBR 1 in New England.^[3][4]

• U.S. Bicycle Route 1 now has an additional run from the state of Maine to New Hampshire.
• U.S. Bicycle Route 1A is a sea-side alternate route for USBR 1 in Maine.
• U.S. Bicycle Route 8 runs from Fairbanks, Alaska, along the Alaska Highway, to the Canadian border.
• U.S. Bicycle Route 108 runs from its parent route in Tok, Alaska to Anchorage.
• U.S. Bicycle Route 208 follows the Haines Highway from the Alaska Marine Highway terminal in Haines to the Canadian border.
• U.S. Bicycle Route 20 runs from the St. Clair River through the state of Michigan to Lake Michigan.
• U.S. Bicycle Route 87 follows the Klondike Highway from the Alaska Marine Highway terminal in Skagway to the Canadian border.
• U.S. Bicycle Route 95 follows the Richardson Highway from Delta Junction, Alaska to the Alaska Marine Highway terminal in Valdez.
• U.S. Bicycle Route 97 is entirely within Alaska, and it runs from Fairbanks, through Anchorage, to Seward.

Across 2013, several other additions to the system were made. After approval in 2012, signage for USBR 45 in Minnesota was completed in the summer. An expansion of USBR 76 into Missouri was signed in October, and both Tennessee and Maryland entered the system on November 5 with USBR 23 and USBR 50, respectively.^[5] Florida has also begun planning on four bicycle routes, including its stretch of USBR 1 and USBR 90.^[12]

List of routes and planned corridors

As of May 2014, 14 parent routes officially exist, so most of the items listed below are presently defined only as "Prioritized Corridors" which are "50-mile wide areas where a route may be developed."^[6] Subsidiary routes, of which only three currently exist, are grouped with their one- or two-digit parent. Approved or signed routes are currently located in the District of Columbia and 16 states: Alaska, Florida, Kentucky, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington. Alaska has the most of any state, with six active routes in total.

Route number	States with approved routes	Locale	Official length		Formed	Notes
			(mi)	(km)
01 !USBR 1	Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida	Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida	?	?	1982	One of the original routes. Unofficial signs exist along some of the planned route from the Canadian border in Maine to Key West, Florida. It is expected to be integrated with the East Coast Greenway.[2]
01-0 !USBR 1A	Maine	Maine	7002178000000000000178	7002178000000000000286	2011	This is a sea-side alternative to U.S. Bicycle Route 1 in Maine.
05 !USBR 5		Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000		Planned to run from USBR 76 in Virginia south to Savannah, Georgia, east of USBR 1.
08 !USBR 8	Alaska	Alaska, Yukon, British Columbia	?	?	2011	The northernmost route in the system, USBR 8 was approved from Fairbanks to the Canadian border, following the Alaska Highway.[13]
08-1 !USBR 108	Alaska	Alaska	?	?	2011	A spur of Route 8 that starts in Tok and ends in Anchorage at USBR 97.
08-2 !USBR 208	Alaska	Alaska, British Columbia, Yukon	?	?	2011	A spur of Route 8 that follows the Haines Highway.
09 !USBR 9		New York	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000		Planned to run from the Canadian border in New York to New York City. Initially planned to be designated USBR 3.[14]
10 ! USBR 10	Washington, Michigan	Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington	7002416000000000000416	7002416000000000000669	2014	Northernmost planned route in the contiguous United States, roughly following the U.S. Route 2 highway. Currently runs through northern Washington State, connecting to British Columbia via Washington State Ferries.[15]
11 ! USBR 11	Maryland	North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000	2014	This route generally parallels U.S. Route 11. The first section was established in Maryland on November 24, 2014.
14 !USBR 14		Montana, Idaho, Washington	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000		Missoula, Montana to Seattle, Washington vicinity.
15 !USBR 15		New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000
20 !USBR 20	Michigan	Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon	7002310000000000000310	7002310000000000000499	2011	Routing in Michigan has been approved,[13] from the international Bluewater Ferry to Canada in Marine City, Michigan, and is planned to incorporate the Lake Michigan Carferry crossing between Ludington, Michigan and Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
23 !USBR 23	Tennessee	Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama	7002154000000000000154	7002154000000000000248	2013	Planned to run from south of Louisville, Kentucky south to northern Alabama. Route in Tennessee was approved in 2013.[5]
25 !USBR 25		Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000		Planned to run from north of Detroit, Michigan south to Mobile, Alabama.
30 !USBR 30		Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000		Planned to incorporate a ferry crossing on Lake Michigan between Michigan and Wisconsin.
35 !USBR 35	Michigan	Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi	7002500000000000000500	7002500000000000000805	2012	Planned to run from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan to USBR 45 on the Mississippi River in Mississippi or Louisiana. Michigan portion dedicated on May 19, 2012.[16]
36 !USBR 36	Illinois	Michigan, Indiana, Illinois	700115200000000000015.2	700115200000000000024	2014	Currently runs from Chicago to the Indiana state line.[15] Planned to stretch from Detroit, Michigan to USBR 45 along the Mississippi River in Illinois or Iowa.
37 !USBR 37	Illinois	Wisconsin, Illinois	700157400000000000057.4	700157400000000000092	2014	Currently runs from the Wisconsin–Illinois state line south to Chicago.[15] Planned to begin at USBR 10 near the border with Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Originally planned as part of USBR 66.[14]
40 !USBR 40		New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000		Planned to run from New York City to Yellowstone National Park.
41 !USBR 41		Minnesota, Wisconsin	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000		Planned to run from the Canadian border in Minnesota south to the Mississippi River and USBR 45 in Wisconsin.
45 !USBR 45	Minnesota	Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000	2012	Planned to incorporate the Mississippi River Trail[2] and run from northern Minnesota south to New Orleans, Louisiana, it is unclear whether this route will primarily run along either the west bank or east bank of the Mississippi River. Route was approved May 21, 2012.[17][18]
50 !USBR 50	District of Columbia, Maryland, Ohio	Delaware, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California	7002517799999999999517.8	7002517799999999999833	2013	Planned to be one of the longest routes, stretching from Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware through Washington, D.C. in the east to near San Francisco, California. The route in Maryland, which follows the C&O Canal Towpath, was approved in 2013.[5][19] The route in Ohio was approved the following year.[15]
55 !USBR 55		North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000		Planned to run from the Canadian border in North Dakota south to the Mexican border in Texas.
65 !USBR 65		North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000		Planned to run from USBR 10 in North Dakota south to USBR 84 near Lubbock, Texas.
66 !USBR 66		Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000		Planned to roughly follow the decommissioned U.S. Route 66 highway from Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California. Originally planned to continue north to Wisconsin on what is now planned as USBR 37.[14]
70 !USBR 70		Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000		Planned to run from USBR 76 in Colorado to USBR 66 in California.
75 !USBR 75		Colorado, New Mexico, Texas	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000		Planned to run from USBR 76 in Colorado to USBR 90 near El Paso, Texas
76 !USBR 76	Virginia, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri	Virginia, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon	?	?	1982	One of the two original routes, this is planned to be expanded to the longest route, running from the existing eastern terminus near the Atlantic Ocean in Virginia west to the Pacific Ocean west of Eugene, Oregon. The number refers to 1776 and the U.S. bicentennial year 1976 when this was the "Bikecentennial" route. Like USBR 1, unofficial signs exist in places along the route, which is officially only from Virginia to Missouri. Route approved and signed in Missouri in October 2013.[20]
79 !USBR 79		Nevada, Utah, Arizona	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000		Planned to run from USBR 50 near Reno, Nevada to USBR 90 near Phoenix, Arizona.
80 !USBR 80		North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000		Planned to run from North Carolina coast to Oklahoma City
84 !USBR 84		South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000		Planned to run from South Carolina coast to El Paso, Texas
85 !USBR 85		Washington, Oregon, California	50000000000000000000	50000000000000000000		The easternmost of three routes serving the three West Coast states.
87 !USBR 87	Alaska	Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California	?	?	2011	The middle route of three serving the three West Coast states and Alaska. It is planned to use the Alaska Marine Highway to connect Bellingham, Washington to Skagway, Alaska. Currently, the only approved route follows the Klondike Highway.
90 !USBR 90	Florida	Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California	?	?	2014	The southernmost route, running from near Jacksonville, Florida west to San Diego, California. The first section was established in Florida on November 24, 2014.
95 !USBR 95	Alaska	Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California	?	?	2011	The westernmost planned route in the contiguous United States, USBR 95 currently runs from Delta Junction, Alaska to Valdez, via the Richardson Highway. It is planned to follow the Alaska Marine Highway from Valdez to Bellingham, Washington, and then it will go south to San Diego, California. It is expected to incorporate the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route.[2]
97 !USBR 97	Alaska	Alaska	?	?	2011	The western most route in the system, USBR 97 is entirely within Alaska, and it connects Fairbanks, Anchorage and Seward.[13]

See also

U.S. state bicycle route systems

• List of BicyclePA bicycle routes
• Delaware Bicycle Route 1
• List of bicycle routes in North Carolina
• List of Georgia State Bicycle Routes
• List of New York State Bicycle Routes

Other national, subnational, and international bicycle route systems

• EuroVelo – Europe's international cycle route network
• National Cycle Network – the United Kingdom's national cycling route network
• Route Verte – Quebec's provincial cycle route network
• Trans Canada Trail – Canada's national cycling route network
• Danish National Cycle Routes - Denmark's national cycling route network

References

External links

• U.S. Bicycle Route System - Adventure Cycling Association
• The United States Bicycle Route System: Corridor Plan - Adventure Cycling Association
• U.S. Bicycle Routes - AASHTO