Taking a cue from recent efforts by the nearby towns of Miami, Okla., and Galena, Kan., a city official for Webb City, Mo., is asking permission from state and federal highway officials to paint Route 66 shields on the road surface through several Jasper County towns to help guide travelers.
From the Carthage (Mo.) Press:
“It would cost nickels and dimes,” Surface said. “When you do the stencil, that’s a very small amount, then you’re into the cost of the paint. If we could have the same person who made the stencil in Miami make another one and replace Oklahoma with Missouri, we’re rolling.”
Surface said he’s also asked MoDOT to speed the process of putting signs on Route 66 marking it as a scenic byway. […]
Tommy Pike, president of the Route 66 Association of Missouri, told members of the group at a meeting on Carthage last month that he and his wife were still working on confirming the spots where signs are needed in the St. Louis area, but that a family illness and high gas prices had slowed his work.
It sounds like city officials are growing dissatisfied with the association’s pace of replacing signage.
Marble said MoDOT has suggested to the Association that it wrap up its work by mid-August, but that was just a suggestion, not a deadline of any kind.
Surface said he’s concerned about the status of the federal grant funding the project and has MoDOT to consider changes in the way the project is being administered.
“We have made our thoughts clear to MoDOT that the three cities are dissatisfied with the coordination of the project in Springfield,” Surface said. “They’ve asked us to give them time for discussions with the Route 66 Association, so we’ll give it a couple of weeks and look at it again.”
The article makes it clear that the state of Missouri is in no danger of losing the federal grant.
Painting the shields on the road now might be a bit of a moot point, since the peak of tourism season is nearly over. But I don’t see why anyone would object to additional signs on Route 66. Anyone can tell you that redundancy, especially with road signage, is a good thing for travelers.