1 CONTENTS CONTENTS 1 Introduction to Byways... 5 - 12 2 Description... 13 - 18 3 Public Involvement... 19 - 24 4 Resources and Qualities... 25 - 52 5 Stewardship... 53 - 60 6 Safety and Signage... 61 - 76 7 Tourism... 77 - 88 8 Interpretation... 89 - 98 9 Goals... 99 - 104 10 Recommendations... 105 - 130 11 Conclusion... 131 - 133 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This corridor partnership plan for the North and evidenced by their state byway status and their South Sterling Byways is designed to help the endorsement of this process. landowners, businesses, and local governments along these parts of the Sterling Highway to plan for the The focus of this plan is on encouraging a stronger long-term economic future of their portions of the tourism economy and integrating highway Sterling Highway corridor. improvements with visitor investments that will strengthen and support the visitor economy. This plan This plan covers the northern and southern segments does not address land use regulations nor does it seek of the Sterling Highway on the Kenai Peninsula in to limit property owner rights. Instead, the byway Alaska. The northern segment begins at the groups seek to use their designations, grant dollars, intersection with the Seward All-American Road and and national marketing to improve the local economy then travels southwest for approximately 38 miles. and provide more amenities for travelers and residents. This segment of the Sterling Highway is an Alaskan state byway. The southern segment, the South As described within this plan, this document is Sterling Byway, begins north of Anchor Point at structured to meet the state and national requirements Stariski Creek (milepost 150.5) and ends in Homer for grant funding and further designations that may at the end of the highway (milepost 179.5) on the be pursued by area leaders and residents. This plan Homer Spit for a total of 29.0 miles. The middle has been prepared largely to identify the economic, portion of the full Sterling Highway has been infrastructure, and interpretive investments that omitted from this plan due to the fact that the road should be pursued in order to strengthen the local is not a state scenic byway. There is skepticism economy and enjoyment of traveling the highway. expressed by some residents to the designation while This plan will also provide a blueprint for tourism others do support the designation. Until there is and infrastructure investments that will serve both greater support, this segment has been omitted from residents and visitors of the communities on the the byway effort. Residents, elected officials, and Sterling Highway. businesspeople in the North and South Sterling areas strongly support the byway concept, as North and South Sterling Byways Corridor Partnership Plan - DRAFT 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The major categories of actions identified by the Begin to plan now for future separated North and South Sterling Byway groups are: trails along the byways that will offer another path to experience the corridors. Support highway improvements that will make the Sterling Highway safer and Upgrade state and local recreation provide better service to residents and facilities to better handle the growing visitors. number of visitors. Find funding and partnerships to Inventory and identify river access areas upgrade traveler pullouts, rest areas and and access to other recreation opportunities restrooms. Make these facilities accessible from the Sterling to improve recreation year-round so they benefit residents and opportunities while protecting and visitors. enhancing critical habitat areas. Improve orientation and directional Work in partnership with various groups signage. to manage and restore riverbanks and other natural areas that are overburdened by Invest in new interpretative panels, anglers. low power radio, audio tours and other approaches to better tell the many stories Through partnerships, plus making good use of associated with the Sterling Highway. America’s Byway program funding and other resources, the above actions will make the North and South Sterling Byways better recreational corridors for both visitors and for year-round Kenai Peninsula residents. North and South Sterling Byways Corridor Partnership Plan - DRAFT Caption Opposite. 5 BYWAY INTRODUCTION 111111 North and South Sterling Byways Corridor Partnership Plan - DRAFT 7 1 INTRODUCTION TO BYWAYS WHAT ARE BYWAYS? The America’s Byway Program (formerly the INTRODUCTION 1 - BYWAY A byway is a road that is more than just a strip of National Scenic Byways Program) has been in pavement connecting two places. Traveling along a existence since 1991. The Alaskan state byways byway provides an experience. Whether that program was formed just a few years later, in an effort experience is tremendous scenery or the opportunity to participate in this new national endeavor. Today to see and visit historic villages or to learn about the there are 125 roads in the United States that have natural or cultural history of the place, a byway is been given the designation of national byway. Beyond more than a transportation route. Certainly, the that, there are several hundred more byways, located transportation that it allows is the core reason why in all 50 states that have been given designation as the road exists. But whether it be historic or natural state byways. In addition, some state and federal significance, a byway also conveys something about agencies identified roads under their jurisdiction as the personality of America through the experience of having exceptional qualities, and thus those agencies Image caption. traveling that route. have designated roads as Bureau of Land Management Backways, Forest Service Byways, or National Park Service Scenic Roads. There is nothing new about the concept of byways. Since the invention of the automobile, local and national groups have attempted to make travelers aware of routes that offered the best scenery or the most interesting experiences. The most well-known of these efforts would be the American Automobile Association’s scenic route recommendations. As long as people have been driving cars, they have sought out routes that offered beautiful vistas, unusual attractions, and great destinations and experiences. It is a natural part of why scenic driving is one of the most popular recreational pursuits in America. In The new model for ‘special place recognition’ uses a addition, there is a long history of towns and regions different set of tools and a different attitude. The new seeking to attract more visitors by making those model does not buy land; the new model does not visitors aware of the resources that lie along those place regulations on local property owners. The routes, be they world class fishing, historic America’s Byways Program and the National Heritage communities, or cultural experiences. Area Program share many similarities as examples of these new special place recognition efforts. The What is new is that byways are part of a new trend National Heritage Area Program is an effort by locally- in American thinking about highways and special established groups who wish to link economic places: How can local people initiate and control development with the enhancement of heritage efforts to link economic development with the resources. These groups can then work with the enhancement of special places, and how can state National Park Service as technical assistance providers, and federal government support those efforts without if the local groups so choose. The Byways Program is interfering or placing burdens on local people? The similar but has a broader scope beyond just heritage old model for these types of initiatives was that of the resources to include economic development of the federal government becoming very involved directly highway and six intrinsic qualities: recreation, with the ownership, management, or regulation of cultural, scenic, natural, archeological, and historic, a place. Thus, the federal government created found along the route. Both the byways and heritage National Parks and designated National Forests. State area programs are guided and driven by local groups. and local governments purchased land to create parks Before a byway can be considered for inclusion in the and created regulatory designations on historic national program, there must be evidence that local districts, and used regulations to control the type of groups of elected officials, citizens, business owners development that occurred within that area. This and property owners are supporting and organizing old model resulted in land being purchased or taken the effort. In those cases, the appropriate Federal Image caption. by eminent domain from private property owners, agency (Federal Highway Administration for byways) or it resulted in restrictions that prevented people then will work in partnership with the local group to from using their land in the ways that they wanted. help them accomplish their goals. The Byways The old model resulted in too many regulations and Program is about recognition of outstanding controls defined by governments located in state highways, the communities along it, and the capitals or in Washington, DC. The old model put opportunities along the highway. emphasis on the protection and management of resources that sometimes lay within private ownership. The old model had a preference for resource protection, rather than economic development. North and South Sterling Byways Corridor Partnership Plan - DRAFT There