>

Tourism, timber and transportation leaders gathered Wednesday at Clallam Bay County Park to dedicate state Route 112 as a National Scenic Byway.

Under the Federal Highway Administration program, the route was already designated as the Strait of Juan de Fuca Highway. The designation could also mean federal funding for improvement projects along the highway.

State and federal transportation officials credited local supporters with securing the recognition after nearly five years.

“It’s Olympic Peninsula folks who have put this into action and have something to show for it,” state Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary Paula Hammond said.

Gary Tonkin, director of the National Scenic Byways Resource Center in Minnesota, predicted that Clallam Bay-Sekiu Chamber of Commerce President Sande Balch and others would aggressively seek funding and assistance to develop the route’s potential.

This full report appears in today’s Clallam County edition of the Peninsula Daily News. Click onto “Subscribe” at left to order your copy via U.S. mail.