WASHINGTON — Just in time for the summer travel season, the federal government is adding 36 highways to its list of scenic, historic or recreational roads known as America's Byways.

        The roads added to the list Thursday include 71 miles of Florida Route A1A along the Atlantic Ocean; a 234-mile route along the Hudson River north of Albany, N.Y., to Lake Champlain; and the Country Music Highway along U.S. 23 in Kentucky, passing the hometowns of such country stars as Loretta Lynn, Ricky Skaggs and Dwight Yoakam.

        The other two Kentucky roads to be added to the list are the Red River Gorge Scenic Byway, along Ky. 15, and the Wilderness Road Heritage Highway, which follows parts of U.S. 25 and Ky. 229.

        “These are the first three nationally designated scenic byways in Kentucky. This fits perfectly into our efforts to boost the tourism economy of our region,” Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., said in a statement.

        Mr. Rogers is the chairman of the committee that funds the Department of Transportation. The three Kentucky roads run through his district in the eastern part of the state.

        The additions bring the total to 95 byways in 39 states. They are eligible for a share of $25 million in federal funds awarded annually.

        Some of the byways are so significant that officials say they warrant a special trip, such as the old National Road (U.S. 40) from Maryland through Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, which opened the Midwest to settlers in the early 1800s.

        The National Scenic Byways Program was created in 1991 to protect historic and scenic roads and promote tourism and economic development.

        Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said the byways offer Americans spectacular views, recreational areas or historic sites close to home.

        “If the economy is down, people are still able to travel and not have it hit their pocketbooks as much,” Mr. Mineta said. “It's close by and it's significant.”

        The new routes also range from the 9.5-mile Arroyo Seco Parkway in Los Angeles, a part of the Pasadena Freeway, to the 8,834-mile Marine Highway across the southern coast of Alaska.

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