The US Secretary of Transportation has designated SC Highway 174 on Edisto Island as a National Scenic Byway, becoming the fourth road in South Carolina to achieve the prestigious designation.

National Scenic Byways are exceptional roads through areas that exemplify regional characteristics. They possess distinctive cultural, historic, natural or other qualities unique among neighboring states.

The Edisto Island National Scenic Byway is a tree canopied 17-mile stretch of SC 174 that traverses salt marsh, creeks, maritime forests, farm fields and historic churches from the Intracoastal Waterway to the Atlantic Ocean. It was designated a State Scenic Highway in 1988 and designated National Scenic Byway on Friday, Oct. 16, 2009 by US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) administers the Scenic Byways program on behalf of the US Secretary of Transportation.

“This is a much sought-after designation with national and international significance,” said Tesa Griffin, SC Scenic Byways Coordinator at SCDOT. “For South Carolina to now have four National Scenic Byways is impressive and exciting.”
             The other National Scenic Byways in South Carolina are the Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Byway, Savannah River National Scenic Byway and Ashley River Road National Scenic Byway.

Across the United States, other National Scenic Byways include the Blue Ridge Parkway, Historic Route 66, the Big Sur Coast Highway and the Sante Fe Trail.

The Edisto Island Open Land Trust, an accredited land trust aimed at conserving Edisto’s natural lands, spearheaded the movement to achieve the National Scenic Byway designation, according to Executive Director Marian Brailsford.

Brailsford said she hopes the National Scenic Byway Designation will boost the island’s economy through ecotourism and help preserve the island’s historic culture, rural character, and natural environment.

“If you came to Edisto Island for the first time you would feel you have been in a time machine capsule that landed in 1950,” Brailsford said.

“This designation is the culmination of extremely hard work on the part of 200 or 300 people to get this community ready to be a National Scenic Byway,” said Bud Skidmore, a longtime resident and member of the Edisto Island Open Land Trust. “The national and international publicity that it garners is just amazing. We truly believe it will be a wonderful thing for our community.”

The Edisto Island Preservation Alliance will be the managing body of the Corridor Management Plan, a long-term plan to preserve the Byway’s intrinsic qualities. Approximately 44 percent (16,000 acres) of Edisto Island is protected natural lands.

For a road to become a National Scenic Byway, it must first be designated a State Scenic Byway. SCDOT is proud to partner with the South Carolina Scenic Highways Committee to designate 20 routes on over 415 miles of Scenic Byways throughout the state of South Carolina. Visitors can enjoy significant scenic, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, commercial, and economic destinations along these routes and the surrounding areas.

A list of Scenic Byways in South Carolina is available at:

http://www.scdot.org/community/scenic_byways.shtml.

For more information, contact Tesa Griffin, SC Scenic Byways Coordinator,  (803) 737-0013.