Great River Road | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Route information | |
| Length | 2,069.0 mi[1][clarification needed] (3,329.7 km) |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| States | Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana |
| Highway system | |
The Great River Road is a collection of state and local roads that follow the course of the Mississippi River through ten states of the United States. They are Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. It formerly extended north into Canada, serving the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba. The road is designated as both a National Scenic Byway and an All-American Road in several states along the route.[2]
The term "Great River Road" refers both to a series of roadways and to a larger region inside the US and in each state, used for tourism and historic purposes. Some states have designated or identified regions of state interest along the road and use the roads to encompass those regions.[3]
It is divided into two main sections: the Great River Road and the National Scenic Byway Route. The eponymous segment runs on both sides of the river from Louisiana through the state borders of Kentucky/Illinois and Missouri/Iowa, excepting the full length of the road in Arkansas. A five-state section of the road has been designated a National Scenic Byway, running through Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. In 2021, eight of the 10 state routes were designated All-American Roads by the Federal Highway Administration,[4] highlighting their national significance and one-of-a-kind features.[5]
Developed in 1938, the road has a separate commission in each state. These in turn cooperate through the Mississippi River Parkway Commission (MRPC). The 2,340 miles (3,765 km) are designated with a green-and-white sign showing a river steamboat inside a pilotwheel with the name of the state or province. The over-all logo reads "Canada to Gulf" where the local name would be, and most MRPC publications denote the route as beginning at Lake Itasca in Minnesota and ending in Louisiana.
- ^ Staff. "Great River Road". America's Byways. Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
- ^ "Collection of America's Byways[reg] Designated by U.S. Secretary of Transportation - Designations - National Scenic Byways Program - Planning, Environment, & Real Estate - FHWA". Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Retrieved August 18, 2021.
- ^ Staff. "Explore Minnesota's Great River Road". Minnesota Mississippi River Parkway Commission. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
- ^ Hecox, Doug (February 16, 2021). "USDOT Announces New America's Byways® Designations" (Press release). Federal Highway Administration. FHWA 03-21. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
- ^ "Great River Road receives All-American Road designation". Experience Mississippi River. February 16, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.