U.S. Bicycle Route 76
5117359
218515246
2008-06-10T23:59:01Z
66.215.135.238
[[Image:US Bike 76.svg|right|70px]]
'''U.S. Bicycle Route 76''' is a cross-country [[bicycle]] route east of the [[Mississippi River]] in the [[United States]]. It is one of the two original [[United States Numbered Bicycle Routes|U.S. Bicycle Routes]], the other being [[U.S. Bicycle Route 1]]. U.S. Bicycle Route 76 runs from the midwestern state of [[Illinois]] to the eastern seaboard state of [[Virginia]]. It is also known as the [[TransAmerica Bike Route]].
== Route description ==
=== Illinois ===
In the state of [[Illinois]], U.S. Bicycle Route 76 intersects the [[Tunnel Hill State Trail]] in southern Illinois and passes through the following counties<ref>http://www.dot.state.il.us/bikemap/trailist.htm Illinois Department of Transportation: Trail List</ref>:
* [[Randolph County, Illinois|Randolph County]]
* [[Jackson County, Illinois|Jackson County]]
* [[Williamson County, Illinois|Williamson County]]
* [[Johnson County, Illinois|Johnson County]]
* [[Pope County, Illinois|Pope County]]
* [[Hardin County, Illinois|Hardin County]]
=== Kentucky ===
In the state of [[Kentucky]], U.S. Bicycle Route 76 is unsigned but a map is available as part of a state bicycle tours publication<ref>http://transportation.ky.gov/planning/pdf/bkgd.pdf Kentucky DOT Bicycle Tours Guide (PDF)</ref>.
=== Virginia ===
In the state of [[Virginia]], part of U.S. Bicycle Route 76 is signed, and a map is available as part of a state bicycling publication<ref>[http://www.virginia.org/site/features.asp?FeatureID=352 Bicycling in Virginia - Cycling the Commonwealth: Virginia Is For Lovers<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.
The route passes along the following roads and through the following counties and communities:
* [[Virginia State Route 80|State Route 80 (Virginia)]] from [[Elkhorn City, Kentucky|Elkhorn City, Kentucky]] to [[Meadowview, Virginia]] in [[Washington County, Virginia|Washington County]]
* Washington County
** Meadowview to [[Damascus, Virginia|Damascus]]
** [[U.S. Route 58]] from Damascus, where the route crosses the [[Virginia Creeper Trail]] and the [[Appalachian Trail]] to County Route 603 through [[Smyth County, Virginia|Smyth County]] to [[Troutdale, Virginia|Troutdale]] in [[Grayson County, Virginia|Grayson County]]
* Grayson County
** State Route 16 from Troutdale to [[Sugar Grove, Virginia|Sugar Grove]] in Smyth County
* [[Smyth County, Virginia|Smyth County]]
* [[Wythe County, Virginia|Wythe County]]
* [[Pulaski County, Virginia|Pulaski County]]
* [[Radford, Virginia|Radford]]
* [[Montgomery County, Virginia|Montgomery County]]
** County Routes 787, 664, 600, and 666 from Radford to [[Christiansburg, Virginia|Christiansburg]]
** Ellett Road (County Route 723) from [[Cambria, Virginia|Cambria]] in Christiansburg to [[Ellett, Virginia|Ellett]] just east of [[Blacksburg, Virginia|Blacksburg]] passing under the [[Wilson Creek Bridge]], tallest bridge in Virginia, and part of the [[Virginia Smart Road]]
** Lusters Gate Road (County Route 723) from Ellett to [[Lusters Gate, Virginia|Lusters Gate]] passing through [[Ellett Valley]] with the North Fork of the [[Roanoke River]] to the east and the [[Eastern Continental Divide]] a few miles to the west
** Catawba Road (County Route 785) from Lusters Gate to the [[Roanoke County, Virginia|Roanoke County]] line<ref>http://www.montva.com/departments/plan/plancom/arch/2000/minutes/011900.php Montgomery County Planning Commission held on January 19, 2000</ref> passing through [[Catawba Valley]]
* Roanoke County
** Catawba Road (County Route 785) from the Montgomery County line to [[Catawba, Virginia|Catawba]] passing out of the Roanoke River watershed and into the [[Chesapeake Bay]] ([[James River (Virginia)|James River]]) watershed
** County Route 779 from Catawba to the [[Botetourt County, Virginia|Botetourt County]] line
* Botetourt County
* [[Rockbridge County, Virginia|Rockbridge County]]
* [[Augusta County, Virginia|Augusta County]]
* Just south of [[Waynesboro, Virginia|Waynesboro]] near [[Afton Mountain]], the route runs along the [[Blue Ridge Parkway]] for 25 miles, overlooking the [[Shenandoah Valley]] to the west and [[Nelson County, Virginia|Nelson County]]'s Rockfish Valley to the east<ref>http://www.virginia.org/site/features.asp?featureID=363&md=1 Bicycling in Virginia - US Bicycle Route 76</ref>.
* [[Albemarle County, Virginia|Albemarle County]]
* [[Charlottesville]]
* [[Fluvanna County, Virginia|Fluvana County]]
* [[Goochland County, Virginia|Goochland County]]
* [[Louisa County, Virginia|Louisa County]]
* [[Hanover County, Virginia|Hanover County]]<ref>http://www.co.hanover.va.us/planning/complan/heritage.pdf Hanover County Preservation District Overlaf (PDF)</ref>
* [[Henrico County, Virginia|Henrico County]]
* [[Charles City County, Virginia|Charles City County]]
* [[James City County, Virginia|James City County]]
* [[Williamsburg, Virginia|Williamsburg]]
* [[York County, Virginia|York County]]
** [[Yorktown, Virginia|Yorktown]]
== History ==
Bicycle Route 76 was established in 1982 as an original U.S. Bicycle Route, along with U.S. Bicycle Route 1 from [[Florida]] to Virginia. The use of U.S. Bicycle Routes since 1982 has been nonexistent, but a 2003 conference encouraged the establishment of new bicycle routes<ref>[http://www.transportation.org/sites/scote/docs/2004meeting/presentations/Moeur.pdf AASHTO Ad Hoc Task Force on U.S. Bicycle Routes (PDF)]. Retrieved May 12, 2006.</ref>.
It was preceded in 1976 by the Adventure Cycling Association's [[TransAmerica Trail]], which itself was formed upon the creation of the Adventure Cycling Association (then called "[[Bikecentennial]]").<ref name='aca'>{{cite web |url=http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/transamerica.cfm |title=TransAmerica Trail |date=2007 |accessdate=2007-09-22 |author=Adventure Cycling Association}}</ref>
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
*[http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/transamerica.cfm Adventure Cycling - TransAmerica Trail]
[[Category:U.S. Bicycle Route System|076]]
[[Category:Bike paths in Illinois]]
[[Category:Bike paths in Kentucky]]
[[Category:Bike paths in Virginia]]