19A NCAC 02E .1002      PURPOSE

(a)  The Scenic Byway/Highway system shall be established to provide the public with the opportunity to travel on a system of roads featuring the intrinsic qualities of the State within the existing highway system.

(b)  The Scenic Byway/Highway program is intended to identify not create scenic byways/highways.

(c)  The program and rules prescribed to sustain the integrity and safety of the scenic byway/highway system shall be incorporated into N.C.D.O.T. planning and maintenance operations.

(d)  All lawfully erected outdoor advertising signs adjacent to a Scenic Byway/Highway designated as a part of the interstate or federal‑aid primary highway system as of June 1, 1991, or any highway which is or becomes a part of the National Highway System shall become nonconforming signs and shall be allowed to remain until such time as funds become available for purchase.

(e)  The implementation of the system provides an alternative for safe travel, encourages tourism and economic growth, and promotes intrinsic qualities/resources along the highway system.

History Note:        Authority G.S. 136‑18(5); 136‑122 through 136‑125; 136‑129.2; 143B‑348;

Eff. March 1, 1995;

Pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.3A, rule is necessary without substantive public interest Eff. September 6, 2016.