Marketing a highway corridor by giving it an identity. Branding the Road Marketing a highway corridor by giving it an identity.

Long History of Highway Promotion Until the mid-1920's, the Nation's main interstate roads carried names such as the Lincoln Highway, the Meridian Highway, the National Old Trails Road, the Pacific Highway, the Yellowstone Trails, and hundreds of others. The names were applied by private booster groups, each of which acted as a "chamber of commerce" for its route.

Highway 26 Association My first experience with a Highway Association in the late 70’s as a small town publisher in Oshkosh, Nebraska. Originally to pull Yellowstone/Teton traffic off I-80. Died for a few years. Came back as Western Trails Scenic and Historic Byway. No private membership, little collaboration between communities. Big for Oregon Trail enthusiasts. Largest city on the route is less than 20,000

Highway 85 Association My second experience with a Highway Association in the early 90’s as a Chamber Director in Belle Fource, SD. North/South route to connect Mexico and Canada with both a trade and tourism focus. Led by the private and non-profit groups Evolved from just Highway 85 to include Highway 385 Which become the Heartland Expressway. Part of the Ports to Plains Very active with private and pubic support

The Lincoln Highway The idea of the Lincoln Highway came from the fertile mind of Carl Fisher, the man also responsible for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Miami Beach. With help from fellow industrialists an improved, hard-surfaced road was envisioned that would stretch almost 3400 miles from coast to coast, New York to San Francisco, over the shortest practical route. The Lincoln Highway Association was created in 1913 to promote the road using private and corporate donations. The idea was embraced by an enthusiastic public, and many other named roads across the country followed. Americans' enthusiasm for good roads led to the involvement of the federal government in building roads and the creation of numbered U.S. routes in the 1920s.

The Lincoln Highway https://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/

TheMother Road

Ports to Plains The four federally designated High Priority Corridors on the National Highway System of the Ports-to-Plains Alliance are the Ports-to-Plains Trade Corridor (#38), Heartland Expressway (#14), Theodore Roosevelt Expressway (#58) and a portion of the Camino Real (#27). The Ports-to-Plains Alliance, is a non-profit, non-partisan, community-driven advocacy group led by local elected officials, economic development and chambers of commerce executives, and other business and regional leaders representing communities throughout the ten U.S. States, as well as in Canada and Mexico.

Ports to Plains www. Portstoplains.com

Ports to Plains

Arizona Scenic Byways Coronado Trail Scenic Byway U.S. Route 191 is a spur of U.S. Route 91 that has two branches, from Douglas, Arizona on the Mexican border to the southern part of Yellowstone National Park. Kaibab Plateau–North Rim Parkway State Route 67 (SR 67) is a 43.4 mi (69.8 km) long, north–south state highway in northern Arizona. Red Rock Scenic Road State Route 179, running from Interstate 17 to SR 89A in Sedona. Catalina Highway Officially the General Hitchcock Highway, is the popular name for a Forest Highway and scenic route located in Pima County in southern Arizona.

Canamex Corridor Since its inception in 1995, the CANAMEX Corridor has grown to become the cornerstone for the seamless and efficient transportation of goods, services, people and information between Canada, Mexico and the United States. As the implementation of NAFTA moves toward fruition, the CANAMEX Corridor

Canamex Corridor www.canamex.org The CANAMEX Corridor Project is a joint project of Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Utah and Montana, with the primary objective of developing and implementing the CANAMEX Corridor Plan. The Arizona Department of Transportation, as the lead state, received funds to develop a comprehensive plan of the CANAMEX Corridor including strategies for addressing deficits and needs along the Corridor.

What’s next for your Highway? A coalition? Like Canamex An association? Like Ports to Plains A brand? Like the Lincoln Highway A cultural icon? Like Route 66