United States Numbered Bicycle Routes

United States Bicycle Route System
1978, 2009, and (alternative) 2012 route markers
System information
Length:	8,043 mi (12,944 km)
Formed:	1978
Highway names
US Routes:	U.S. Bicycle Route nn (USBR nn)
System links
United States Bicycle Route System List

The United States Bicycle Route System (abbreviated USBRS) is the national cycling route network of the United States. It consists of interstate long-distance cycling routes that use multiple types of bicycling infrastructure, including off-road paths, bicycle lanes, and low-traffic roads. As with the complementary United States Numbered Highways system for motorists, each U.S. Bicycle Route is maintained by state and local governments. The USBRS is intended to eventually traverse the entire country, like the Dutch National Cycle Routes and the United Kingdom's National Cycle Network, yet at a scale similar to the EuroVelo network that spans Europe.

The USBRS was established in 1978 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the same body that coordinates the numbering of Interstate highways and U.S. Routes. The first two U.S. Bicycle Routes were established in 1982 and remained the only two until 2011. Steady growth and interest in the system has followed since. As of September 2015^[update], 21 parent routes and six child routes extend 11,424 miles (18,385 km) across 23 states and the District of Columbia. The system, once fully connected, is projected to encompass over 50,000 miles (80,000 km) of bike routes.