By Rachel Whitten
July 26, 2010

(KansasReporter) TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas can boast it now has its first historic byway.

A compilation of roads in extreme western Kansas, which begins on U.S. 83 in Scott City, and ends 108 miles later on U.S. 40 in Sharon Springs, is the first to be labeled a historic byway in a state where all the other byways are designated scenic.

The Kansas Department of Transportation granted the historic designation because the route includes  the El Quarteljo Pueblo ruins, as well as places where Spaniards settled in their exploration of the new world, and the sites of several historic Native American battles.

“It has to be nationally recognized as a historical place and there has to be other things that go along with it that are significant,” said Scott Shields with the KDOT. “We have to see that ‘yes there is potential here to bring in visitors, there’s potential for the town or community to make money.’ That’s what the byway helps them do.”

Although the economic impact of designating scenic or historic byways has not been measured yet, other states have estimated a new byway can influence a 20 or 30 percent increase in traffic activity.

“We’re not talking about just money, maybe just visiting,” Shields said. “That’s why we’re doing better research to get a better handle on the impact.”

He said the Kansas Travel and Tourism Division is working with Kansas State University on the economic impact of byways, although Shields the research is only in the preliminary stages and doesn’t have a target completion date yet.

Kansas has nine scenic byways, so the addition of the historic byway will make 10 total for the state. A new historic byway located in Cherokee County, in the far southeastern part of the state, will focus on Route 66, the popular road many travelers took in the 1950’s and 1960’s.

But it could be a while, because designating a byway is a slow process.

To begin with, there has to be a strong grassroots effort by local citizens to designate a portion of highway significant. A committee has to work together with KDOT to show they are committed to maintaining the byway, encouraging local visitation and spreading information about the area. The process takes about two or three years.

“It just takes time to develop, there’s a lot of work that’s involved in this, a lot of volunteer hours. We don’t like to rush, if it is meant to be, it will happen,” Shields said. “If the commitment isn’t there it will fall apart… because getting it designated is the easy part but keeping it going after that is the harder part.”

If the byway receives designation, the state donates an information kiosk to the area, paid for by federal grant money. The only costs the state incurs when designating a new byway is the signs directing travelers to the byways, which cost around $10,000 to $15,000 per byway.

The nine scenic byways in Kansas are part of a network of 99 scenic byways that are recognized by the U.S. Department of Transportation, located in 44 states.