Rick Martin of Yukon, Okla., has launched a website that incorporates Google Maps and overlays it with color-coded markings to designate various alignments of Route 66.
Route66map (screen shot of the section of Bridgeport, Okla., is above) shows the oldest alignments in red. Brown is for 1930s to ’50s alignments. Green is for ’50s and ’60s alignments. Blue stands for a later non-interstate section. And black signifies non-Route 66 sections used to connect noncontiguous Route 66 alignments.
Martin wrote on the site:
The lines were drawn using DeLorme Topo maps and then converted over to .KML format. So some of the lines may not be exactly on the road due to the differences in the two data sets of the maps. They should be “close enough” to figure out what road was intended.
In the short time I used the website, I liked its usefulness, especially with its zooming capability and the option of satellite images. I could easily see roadies use the site with on smartphones or with an iPad’s 3G connection.
The site also contains Google Maps waypoints for Route 66 motels, restaurants, historical landmarks, and notes on roads and bridges. Martin’s maps aren’t all-inclusive, but he tells you how to edit the maps to add your own favorite places.
Martin boasts several connections to Route 66. His father owned Martin’s Motel in Ash Fork, Ariz. Martin grew up in Los Angeles, and frequently traveled the Mother Road to visit grandparents in Oklahoma. He and his wife also are avid global-positioning systems buffs, and have used that GPS experience to help build the website.
I only checked his Los Angeles County sections (of course), but he pretty much nailed it. I noticed a couple of very minor errors / problems, but all in all, the LA County stuff is dead on. Good job!
Thanks for the nice words. I am continually editing the map as I travel and research. So send any issues you see to my email listed on the website.
I am just hopeful that this project will make exploring the Mother Road more fun and get more people out on the road.
Regards,
Rick Martin
Nov. 15, 2020
I had the pleasure of examining this map around 2015. Quite an impressive piece of work. Unfortunately I just checked the link and the message; “This Website is Disabled” appears. I don’t know if it’s temporary, but it’s a loss. I hope the map can be recovered, Rick did a great job on it and it deserves to be preserved for posterity.
It’s now at https://www.route66-map.com/
That’s wonderful!
However, . . . and I’m not sure how important this is or how risky it is in reality, but I did get the following message while trying to follow the link;
“Warning: Potential Security Risk Ahead
Firefox detected a potential security threat and did not continue to http://www.route66-map.com. If you visit this site, attackers could try to steal information like your passwords, emails, or credit card details.”
Actually if you press the details it involves the security certificate which it says is “self-signed”
Probably not a huge issue, but it could deter some people.
I noticed that issue, too. I’ll try to contact Rick Martin and whether he can resolve the situation.