Remarks by Deputy Secretary Downey at the White Mountains Trail Scenic Byways Designation Ceremony |
|---|
|
Mortimer Downey, United States Deputy Secretary of Transportation
July 23, 1998
REMARKS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
DEPUTY SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION MORTIMER DOWNEY
WHITE MOUNTAINS TRAIL NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYS DESIGNATION
CRAWFORD NOTCH, NEW HAMPSHIRE
JULY 23, 1998
Thank you, Kathy Laffey, for that introduction, and for your leadership as FHWA division administrator here in New Hampshire. I’m also glad to see Dick Hamilton, who has done such a fine job as Chair of the state Scenic and Cultural Byways Council. I also want to acknowledge the other New Hampshire leaders who are with us today, Commissioner Kenison, Commissioner Thompson, Councilor Burton, Director Taylor.
Last month Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater announced the designations of 33 new National Scenic Byways across America. One of them is right here in New Hampshire, the White Mountains Trail.
This loop, comprised of several roads in the heart of the White Mountains National Forest, are exactly the kind of roadways that this program was created to protect. The loop is noted for its natural splendor, its cultural and historic richness, and its wonderful recreational opportunities. Riding on such roads proves that getting there can be half the fun.
"In safeguarding the White Mountains Trail, we’re acting in accord with President Clinton and Vice President Gore’s belief that we can protect our environment and our heritage while we support economic prosperity."
In safeguarding the White Mountains Trail, we’re acting in accord with President Clinton and Vice President Gore’s belief that we can protect our environment and our heritage while we support economic prosperity, a commitment I know you all share.
I join Secretary Slater in congratulating everyone involved in this effort to safeguard a unique part of America’s heritage. You can take pride in the knowledge that these designations protect for future generations, in New Hampshire and all across our nation, some of the most stunning vistas and picturesque roadways in America.
This designation is only part of a continuing effort to safeguard an important part of America’s heritage. On the same day that Secretary Slater announced the designation of the White Mountains Trail, President Clinton signed the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, TEA-21, to use our inside-the-Beltway shorthand.
TEA-21 guarantees a record $198 billion of highway and transit investment over the next six years, and it does so within a balanced budget and without a single penny of new taxes. Included in this bill was an extension of the National Scenic Byways Program, and $148 million over the bill’s six-year life to help states finance improvements such as scenic overlooks and tourist information displays.
"The tourism that this scenic byway will generate is going to produce good jobs and sustainable economic development throughout the White Mountains, and that could be the best protection of all for this beautiful region."
This will give New Hampshire and other states the resources they need to make the most of these designations. Preserving roadways like this one and the others in this program is vital not only because they’re located in areas that are part of our heritage but because they provide access to our parks and our monuments, our forests, our seashores, and other valued treasures.
They also support tourism, which already accounts for a tenth of consumer spending and serves as a significant engine of prosperity around the country. The tourism that this scenic byway will generate is going to produce good jobs and sustainable economic development throughout the White Mountains, and that could be the best protection of all for this beautiful region.
I’d like to close my remarks now by congratulating you all on a fine achievement. Let’s continue working together to protect our stunning vistas and our picturesque roadways so that our children and grandchildren can share the same sense of pride and wonder we had as children, and that, here in the White Mountains, we still have today. Thank you.
# # #
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)