Tuesday, May 29, Gov. Timothy Kaine (D) applauded the decision by the Commonwealth Transportation Board to designate 66 miles of Route 15 as an official Virginia Byway.
"This road, with its beautiful scenic vistas and incredible historic sites, is a treasure," Kaine said in a statement. "We’re proud to have it as a jewel in the Virginia Byway program."
The stretch of road, which reaches from the Potomac River in Loudoun to Orange, is part of the 175-mile Journey Through Hallowed Ground corridor. The Journey Through Hallowed Ground spans from Gettysburg, Pa., to Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, in Albemarle County.
While a Virginia Byway is designed to give visitors access to a part of the commonwealth’s history, the designation does not effect any land-use decisions, road improvements or maintenance to the roads.
The May 17 byway designation by the Commonwealth Transportation Board is the next step toward having the Journey Through Hallowed Ground designated as a National Scenic Byway. Only one portion of the 175-mile stretch in Pennsylvania has not been designated as a scenic byway.
"This historic byway is the spine of the book that links the chapters of our American history," Cate Magennis Wyatt, president of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership, said.
— Erika Jacobson