I suspected that a proposed highway bypass in the Route 66 town of Holbrook, Ariz., would eventually encounter some opposition.
It looks like the opposition is happening. According to the Tribune-News, the Holbrook City Council is considering a resolution to oppose a plan to route traffic from Highways 77 and 377 away from Holbrook and onto Interstate 40.
The resolution presented by staff to the council stated opposition to any bypass of Holbrook by the Arizona Department of Transportation. It also stated that the city opposes the construction of any new highways in or around the city that have the stated purpose of bypassing Holbrook. The reasons cited in the resolution were that the cost of building a new controlled-access highway would be enormous, requiring the acquisition of thousands of acres of new rights of way, and the high cost of concrete and asphalt, putting a tremendous burden on taxpayers and future highway users.
In addition, the resolution stated that a new controlled access highway bypass would divert vehicles away from existing businesses that are dependent upon commerce generated from traffic on existing highways.
The council will consider amending or voting on the resolution after gathering more information from public hearing scheduled for mid-December about the bypass.
But considering that Holbrook saw its businesses languish after Interstate 40 supplanted Route 66 decades ago, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the townsfolk aren’t going to accept a new, proposed bypass without some semblance of a fight.
UPDATE: Highway engineer Richard Moeur has some of the reports from the state about the proposed bypass.