State and local officials on Wednesday unveiled a series of new Route 66 signs in Amarillo, Texas, after the state legislature passed a bill that designated Route 66 as an official historic corridor.
The Amarillo Pioneer reported:
The ceremony, which took place across the street from the OPJ antique store, featured Senator Kel Seliger, Representative Four Price and Dan Quandt, from the Amarillo Convention and Visitors Council.
During the ceremony, the brand new signs were shown. The new signs feature a mostly brown background, with the words “Historic Route” surrounding the Route 66 sign emblem.
A news release earlier this week from the Amarillo Convention and Visitor Council explained:
Route 66 through Texas has been a famous highway for many years, however,
until Rep. Four Price introduced House Bill 978, it was never an official historic corridor.
Sen. Kel Seliger sponsored the companion bill in the Texas Senate.
Following the passage of the bill, the Amarillo Convention and Visitor Council
spearheaded the effort to receive support for the final sign design through the impacted
Texas county historical commissions and finally, the endorsement of the Texas Historical
Commission.
Each area along Texas Route 66 is responsible for the costs of purchase and
installation of the signs in their area. The Amarillo Convention and Visitor Council,
working with the City of Amarillo, has purchased the signs for the Amarillo area.
“Texas was the last state from Illinois to California to formally declare Route 66 a
historic corridor” said Rep. Four Price. “We are excited to be here to witness the
culmination of these efforts.”
Sen. Kel Seliger concurred, “The Mother Road, Route 66, is an important part of
Texas Panhandle history. It was past time for this acknowledgement.”
According to LegiScan, the bill was passed during the 2015-2016 legislative session in Texas and took effect Sept. 1, 2015. It sailed through the Texas House and Senate with no dissenting votes.
It read:
The commission shall identify relevant segments of former U.S. Highway 66 located in this state that are still in use and designate those segments as a historic corridor. […] The historic corridor designated by the commission shall be known as the Route 66 Historic Corridor.
(Image of the Route 66 sign unveilings in Amarillo by Bob “Crocodile” Lile via Facebook)