Washington recently announced it is expanding its U.S. Bicycle Route system by more than 200 miles in the southeast of the state, bringing the state’s total to slightly more than 1,000 miles.
U.S. bike routes tend to have lower vehicle traffic volumes and take advantage of scenic landscapes. They are used to direct bicyclists through a city, county, or state, connecting riders to services, parks, and points of interest.
“The U.S. Bicycle Routes are an example of how state highways can serve as critical connections in an overall network for bicycling, as well as support tourism, just as they do for people traveling by car,” Barb Chamberlain, Washington State Department of Transportation Active Transportation Division director, said. “Bike travelers stop in more places and spend more on average than those traveling in motor vehicles, so bike routes are especially good for the economy in our small and rural towns.”
The new routes are 1.9 miles from Tekoa to the Idaho border; 23 miles from Pullman, southeast along State Route 27 and US 195 to the Washington/Idaho border; 77.2 miles from Clarkston along US 12 over the Columbia Plateau to the Columbia County line near the Lewis & Clark Trail State Park; and 103.5 miles from the northern border of Whitman County near Tekoa to Asotin.