U.S. Bicycle Route 50 (USBR 50) is a west-east U.S. Bicycle Route that runs from just outside Terre Haute, Indiana, to Washington, D.C. The route is ultimately planned to span the country, from near San Francisco to Washington, D.C.
Video U.S. Bicycle Route 50
History
The first segment of USBR 50, incorporating the length of the C&O Canal Towpath in Maryland, was approved by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on October 23, 2013. On May 29, 2014, AASHTO approved additional segments in Ohio and Washington, D.C., including the remaining 3.6 miles (5.8 km) of the C&O Towpath. On September 25, 2015, AASHTO approved the route through Indiana, as well as an alternate route in the Columbus, Ohio, area that had been part of Ohio's original route proposal. USBR 50 signs were posted along the Ohio segment in the summer of 2016. In 2017, AASHTO approved the 160-mile-long (260 km) route across Pennsylvania.
Maps U.S. Bicycle Route 50
Route description
Indiana
USBR 50 traverses eight counties in Indiana, from the Illinois state line just outside Terre Haute to the Ohio state line outside Richmond. The route through Indiana roughly parallels the Historic National Road (U.S. Route 40), except for a bypass to the south of Indianapolis. USBR 50 briefly joins U.S. Bicycle Route 35 in New Palestine.
Ohio
USBR 50 continues through Ohio, traversing 11 counties to the Market Street Bridge that connects Steubenville and Follansbee, West Virginia.
The route through Ohio incorporates a number of rail trails. From west to east, it follows the Wolf Creek Recreation Trail, Great Miami River Recreation Trail, Mad River Recreation Trail, Creekside Trail, Little Miami Scenic Trail, Prairie Grass Trail, Roberts Pass, Camp Chase Trail, Scioto Greenway Trail, Alum Creek Greenway Trail, Thomas J. Evans Trail, and Panhandle Trail. USBR 50 also runs along state and U.S. routes, especially in the more rugged terrain east of Newark. In Xenia, USBR 50 shares a short segment of the Little Miami trail with State Bike Route 3. From Xenia to Columbus, it shares the Prairie Grass, Roberts Pass, and Camp Chase trails with State Bike Route 1, the Ohio to Erie Trail.
Pennsylvania
USBR 50 mostly follows the Panhandle and Montour Trails and the Great Allegheny Passage as it crosses five counties to connect Colliers, West Virginia, with Frostburg, Maryland. From West Newton to Rockwood, it shares the Great Allegheny Passage with BicyclePA Route S.
Maryland and Washington, D.C.
USBR 50 continues along the Great Allegheny Passage and then follows the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath from the Pennsylvania state line near Frostburg, Maryland, to the Georgetown district of Washington, D.C., where it connects with the Capital Crescent Trail. U.S. Bicycle Route 11 currently terminates at USBR 50 in Brunswick, Maryland and U.S. Bicycle Route 1 just across the river, and a little downstream, from USBR 50.
U.S. Bicycle Route 50A
U.S. Bicycle Route 50A is an alternate route through Delaware and Licking counties northeast of Columbus, Ohio. During planning for USBR 50 in Ohio, this route was proposed as a scenic route. However, it was omitted from the USBR 50 proposal approved by AASHTO in 2013. USBR 50A was later approved by AASHTO in 2015. The route extends from Westerville to Alexandria over various local roads as well as the Thomas J. Evans Trail, Hoover Scenic Trail, and Genoa Township Trail (part of the Ohio to Erie Trail).
Planned extensions
Plans call for the route to eventually run from near San Francisco to the current eastern terminus in Washington, D.C.
See also
- American Discovery Trail, a long-distance hiking trail with similar endpoints
References
External links
- U.S. Bicycle Route 50 in Ohio, Ohio Department of Transportation
Source of article : Wikipedia
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