Elements of a Good Corridor Management Plan

The Corridor Management Plan (CMP) should provide a comprehensive understanding of your route and your plans to preserve and enhance it. This is especially true if an applicant is seeking National Scenic Byway designation. The Federal Highway Administration lists 14 components that must be in any CMP submitted for national designation. Even if the goal does not include national designation, it is still recommended to include these elements in the plan. They include:

1. A map identifying the corridor boundaries, location of intrinsic qualities, and land uses in the corridor.

2. An assessment of the intrinsic qualities and their "context" (the areas surrounding them).

3. A strategy for maintaining and enhancing each of those intrinsic qualities.

4. The agencies, groups, and individuals who are part of the team that will carry out the plan, including a list of their specific, individual responsibilities. Also, a schedule of when and how you'll review the degree to which those responsibilities are being met.

5. A strategy of how existing development might be enhanced and new development accommodated to preserve the intrinsic qualities of your byway.

6. A plan for on-going public participation.

7. A general review of the road's safety record to locate hazards and poor design, and identify possible corrections.

8. A plan to accommodate commercial traffic while ensuring the safety of sightseers in smaller vehicles, as well as bicyclists, joggers, and pedestrians.

9. A listing and discussion of efforts to minimize anomalous intrusions on the visitors’ experience of the byway.

10. Documentation of compliance with all existing local, state, and federal laws about the control of outdoor advertising.

11. A plan to make sure that the number and placement of highway signs will not get in the way of the scenery but still be sufficient to help tourists find their way. This includes, where appropriate, signs for international tourists who may not speak English fluently.

12. Plans of how the byway will be marketed and publicized.

13. Any proposals for modifying the roadway, including an evaluation about design standards and how proposed changes may affect the byway's intrinsic qualities.

14. A description of what you plan to do to explain and interpret your byway's significant resources to visitors.