Speech and Testimony
County Executive Leggett’s Remarks at the New Brown Street Signs for Rustic Roads Event
20900 Martinsburg Rd., Dickerson
As prepared
Good morning! “Rustic Roads” are historic and scenic roadways that reflect the agricultural character and rural origins of our County.
Today, 98 of these beautiful roads are protected under the Rustic Roads Program. They play a vital role in supporting our farming and vibrant heritage tourism programs.
To enhance public awareness about the significance of these important cultural features in our County, we are installing brown street name signs at every intersection with a rustic road.
Here at Martinsburg and Wasche Road, with its beautiful stone wall, we can appreciate how the brown signs support the rustic feel of this area.
This began in 1989 when a prescient group of County Council members appointed a Task Force to Study a Rural Roads Program in Montgomery County.
That group identified rural roads as an essential element of our County’s historic heritage, and recommended a program to preserve them.
Based on that recommendation, and with the combined support of the County and community, we established the Rustic Roads Program. We now have almost 200 miles of protected rustic roads.
Now the Montgomery County Department of Transportation is installing this new signage to help people identify our rustic roadways.
So far, about one-third of the brown street name signs have been installed. By the end of June, we expect to have brown signs installed at every rustic road intersection throughout the County.
I would like to recognize and extend a special thank you to all the members of the Rustic Roads Advisory Committee for their continuing efforts. They are:
Bob Tworkowski, Todd Greenstone, Tom Hartsock, Christopher Marston, Sarah Navid, Jane Thompson, Laura Van Etten, Michael Knapp and Leslie Saville.
I am delighted to celebrate with all of you today. It is exciting to see how these new brown signs help to identify some of Montgomery County’s most scenic assets.
# # #
Release ID: 18-019Wednesday, April 11; 9:15 a.m.