AUGUSTA – Maine’s U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins announced Tuesday that more than $100,000 in federal grant money has been awarded to improve Franklin County’s scenic byways.

The National Scenic Byways Program designates certain roads with scenic or historical appeal as scenic byways, and allocates federal money to improve rest areas, scenic overlooks and historical markers there.

Tuesday, state officials announced that the Federal Highway Administration awarded more than $250,000 in grant money for 10 Maine projects. Three of the projects, totaling just under $110,000, are within the routes 4 and 17 corridor in northern Franklin County.

In all, $25,000 of the Franklin County money will go toward the implementation of a corridor management plan, said Bob LaRoche, the supervisor of the Maine Department of Transportation landscape architecture unit.

LaRoche, who oversees the Scenic Byways Program, explained committees within each corridor oversee the work going on there, and the money allocated allows them to function.

Nearly $19,300 will be used to make safety improvements to a Route 17 overlook over Rangeley Lake.

The biggest single chunk of money – $61,000 – will go toward safety improvements to the Small’s Falls rest area.

“There are handrail issues and step issues,” LaRoche said.

In addition, the DOT plans to create a pedestrian trail between Small’s Falls and Horseshoe Corner, said Alissa Southworth, press secretary in Collins’ office.

Getting grant money is a joint effort between the DOT, local people, and Collins and Snowe, Southworth said Tuesday.

Back at the DOT, LaRoche said folks were happy they got the money they’d requested. “We got all the grant money for the grants we asked for,” he said. Ten of the grants applied for were awarded, he said.