A bill awaiting President Bush's signature designates a National Heritage Area in a 175-mile corridor spanning parts of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

The House of Representatives voted Tuesday to grant the designation to the area, known as the Journey Through Hallowed Ground. The Senate approved the measure last month.

Activists and legislative leaders say the designation will boost tourism in an area stretching from Monticello to Gettysburg. The area includes battlefields, presidential homes and other historic sites.

If President Bush signs the bill, the corridor will join more than three dozen areas in the National Park Service's National Heritage Area program.