This article by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is the first I’ve seen since the Route 66 Bike Trail-Breaking event in Illinois on Saturday.
The article also provides hints on the trail’s potential popularity and its possible future:
Marla Gursh, a trails planner for the department, said at the event in Edwardsville that the bike trails “are another way to experience Route 66.”
She added that riders from Europe come to Illinois to ride the whole distance, beginning with the Buckingham Fountain in Chicago and ending with the old Chain of Rocks Bridge.
The Route 66 Trail is a mostly an on-road route for bicyclists. The state’s long-term plan is to develop a Route 66 trail system of off-road paths and comfortable roads for bicycles, equestrians and hikers.