U.S. Bicycle Route System tops 18,000 Miles!
Spring is a time for new growth and happily the USBRS is on trend and growing! Late last month three new routes were approved alongside a couple of adjustments to existing routes. These routes add more than 650 miles to the U.S. Bicycle Route System bringing the total number of miles to 18,534!
Two new states join the USBRS fold: Oklahoma and Delaware with USBR 66 and USBR 201 respectively. Minnesota added a fourth route with USBR 20 while Indiana and Michigan made some minor (though significant) adjustments to two USBRS routes.
Read on for more details of each of these additions!
Oklahoma
USBR 66 has been in the works for a number of years so the celebration’s especially sweet for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, state-wide advocates and communities dotting the route who worked collaboratively to bring this designation across the finish line. The route crosses the state from the Kansas border near Miami in its northeast corner to the Texas Panhandle near Elk City on the west. This section of USBR 66 holds the distinction of the most rideable miles of the “Mother Road”, Historic Route 66, passing many famous landmarks along the way.
Minnesota
The fourth route in the state, USBR 20 begins on the west bank of the Mississippi River in St. Cloud, travels northwest, passing numerous towns and several of the state’s 10,000 lakes before reaching Moorhead, the Red River and the North Dakota border. More than two-thirds of USBR 20 follows off-road trails.
Delaware
Delaware enters the USBRS with the short but mighty USBR 201. The route begins at the Pennsylvania border and parallels the Delaware River to the southwest, then through scenic parks and the largest city in the state – Wilmington – crossing the University of Delaware campus to end at the Maryland border.
Michigan
To accommodate the closure of the ferry to Canada in Marine City, USBR 20 has been extended to Algonac on local roads, trail and state highway. The full route crosses the state from Algonac through Bay City to Luddington.
Indiana
Sections of USBR 35 have been realigned, moving them from roads to extensions of the Erie Trail in Starke County and the Pennsy Trail in Marion County. In its entirety the route crosses the state from the Michigan border to Louisville, Kentucky, passing through Indianapolis.
For more details on each of these routes, see the press release.
Remember: Digital maps for all designated U.S. Bicycle Routes are available on our website.
The USBRS is a developing national network of officially recognized, numbered, and signed bicycle routes, with the goal of 50,000 miles of routes linking every state in the country. All U.S. Bicycle Routes are designated by state departments of transportation and approved by AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials).
Adventure Cycling Association provides national coordination for the USBRS, and partners with AASHTO to ensure states have the resources and expertise needed for successful route designation.