Arizona Route 66 aficionado Jeff Jensen noticed that a semi-obscure alignment of old Route 66 east of the Crookton Road exit of Interstate 40, west of Ash Fork, suddenly had recently sprouted a bunch of “for sale” signs.
This is what is called the Partridge Creek section of Route 66. Swa Frantzen’s Historic66.com site provides directions for the 1926-65 alignment and notes a 1920s bridge over the creek that has a tree going from one end of the structure. A striking photo of the Partridge Creek bridge can be seen here. Here’s another.
After making a few phone calls, Jensen wrote in an e-mail:
… The whole area is indeed for sale with a big chunk right in the middle possibly already in the process of being zoned for commercial development! Believe it or not, this exquisite piece of old road may in the next 3-4 years become an auto dealership as the owner is a Phoenix dealer.
Jensen also said that area real-estate firms think the long-dormant area is ripe for an economic redevelopment (although since the bursting of the real-estate bubble, I have to wonder).
That alignment is already on private property. So save for someone buying the land and simply maintaining it as it is, I’m not sure what can be done. But this situation serves to remind one that one rule of traveling Route 66 always applies — enjoy all the sights when you can because you never know whether it will still be there tomorrow.