Corridor Management Plan
As part of the requirements for Georgia Scenic Byway designation, the byway sponsors will develop a Corridor Management Plan. This document is intended to be a tool for local governments and citizens along the byway. It can take many forms. Its purpose is to identify the key features along the byway. It spells out in advance how decisions about these important features will be made and who will make them.
The Corridor Management Plan is not intended to be a detailed plan for each parcel of land along the route. Instead, by focusing on byway management, it clarifies how local citizens will assume responsibility for the long-term protection and enhancement of the byway's key features. No one is better positioned to make informed choices about the byway than the local residents.
No two Corridor Management Plans are alike because no two byways are alike. All of the people who have a stake in the byway should have a voice in its management. The tools the byway organizers choose to adopt will be customized according to local needs. GDOT believes that ongoing management is an important part of byway designation. The qualities that make the byway worthy of designation should be maintained over time.
There are a number of tools available to promote, develop, and protect the byway's scenic resources. Different management tools might be applicable only along certain sections of a byway. A list of sources of more detailed information on management tools is available from the Georgia Scenic Byways Program.
Intrinsic Quality Inventory
The Intrinsic Quality Inventory is the foundation of the Corridor Management Plan. This inventory establishes the significance of the byway, records its intrinsic qualities, and collectively lists the attractions that travelers will come to visit and appreciate. Equally important, this process also identifies any detracting features that may undermine the intrinsic qualities. Documenting both the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed byway in the Intrinsic Quality Inventory will help the organizers devise effective scenic byway management strategies.
Monitoring Scenic Byways In Georgia
Because the extent and quality of the byway's resources may change over time, it is desirable to assess each byway periodically. For existing byways, these assessments will be based on the locally generated Corridor Management Plan. They may be initiated by the GDOT or by the local governing body having jurisdiction. If the byway has lost the intrinsic qualities present when it was designated, it will be removed from the list of Georgia Scenic Byways.