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Scenic Roads
Scenic roadway designation is a tool that communities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island have used to protect community character. Blackstone Valley roadways frequently traverse scenic landscapes, forming an integral part of the region’s appeal, as well as contributing to a sense of place. Road corridor characteristics -- road width, signage, lighting, tree canopy, abutting structures and landscapes -- can define the degree to which these transportation routes effectively showcase a community’s natural and cultural resources.
Rhode Island’s Scenic Roadways program is operated on a state-level, under the direction of the Department of Transportation. Established in 1985, an 11-member Scenic Roadway Board is charged with reviewing applications for designation, reviewing any changes to designated roads, controlling tree trimming and other work, developing a local stewardship plan, and providing technical assistance to property owners. There are 7 designated scenic roadways in Rhode Island at present -- one is the Great Road in Lincoln, RI.
In Massachusetts, the Scenic Roads Act (M.G.L. Chapter 40 Section 15 C) enables municipalities to adopt regulations to protect the character of local roadways, particularly with regard to tree cutting, and stone wall removal. Six communities in the Blackstone Valley in Massachusetts have adopted local scenic roads bylaws (Blackstone, Grafton, Mendon, Millbury, Sutton, and Uxbridge). At a minimum, local bylaws require the Planning Board’s consent prior to tree or stone wall removal within the designated right of way. More protective bylaws may call for site plan review for properties abutting scenic roads and imposition of penalties for violations. The State also has a scenic byways program which requires designation via Legislative action.
Learn more…
Great
Road/Breakneck Hill Road Scenic Highway, Lincoln RI
(
3.97MB / 21 pages )
Town of Mendon Scenic Road Bylaw
Town of Weston, MA – Scenic Roads
King’s Highway, Cape Cod, MA (Route 6A)
Town of Dover, MA Scenic Roads Bylaw
Design Plan for Ministerial Road – So. Kingstown, RI
Massachusetts Scenic Roads Legislation
NH Scenic and Cultural Byways Program
Vermont Scenic Byways Program – VT DOT
Connecticut River Scenic Byway – States of Vermont and New Hampshire
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[ top, right photograph by R.Christopher Noonan, Preservation Services, Inc.]
