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Forest Highway Designation

Forest Highway (FH) are designated as such if they meet certain criteria. The list of designated forest highways is not fixed. Routes can be added or removed at any time. Currently designated Forest Highways are shown here.

FH route designation may be requested by the Department of Transportation/Public Facilities (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, or Wyoming State), the FS or by a County/Borough through the State. Routes are designated by the FHWA, Western Federal Lands Highway Division (WFLHD) Division Engineer with concurrence of the FS and State. Routes do not have to be designated before a project can be proposed, but a route must be designated before FH funds are expended on it.

Route designation proposals must contain information on the criteria listed below and must be coordinated with the local FS representatives who can provide information on FS use of the proposed route. FS support for the proposed designation is very important.

To be designated as a forest highway, a route must:
  1. Be wholly or partially within, or adjacent to, and serving the National Forest System (NFS) (23 USC 101).
  2. Be necessary for the protection, administration, and utilization of the NFS (23 USC 101).
  3. Be necessary for the use and development of NFS resources (23 USC 101).
  4. Be under the jurisdiction of a cooperator and open to public travel (23 CFR S660. 105).
  5. Provide a connection between NFS resources and one of the following (23 CFR S660. 105):
    1. A safe and adequate public road
    2. Communities
    3. Shipping points
    4. Markets dependent on these resources
  6. Serve one of the following (23 CFR S660.105):
    1. Local needs such as schools, mail delivery, commercial supply
    2. Access to private property within the NFS
    3. A preponderance of NFS generated traffic
    4. NFS generated traffic that has a significant impact on road design or construction.
   

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Last update: April 3, 2007