A complicated summer for the revived Boots Motel in Carthage, Mo., has suddenly become more complicated with the news that a bridge construction detour, plus another construction bypass advocated by the historic Route 66 landmark, are both going to be the subject of road construction.
Ron Hart, director of the Route 66 Chamber of Commerce and general property manager of the motel, wrote in an email:
First it was the bridge closing on Hwy.96/66 in Carthage, so traffic will be detoured to E Hwy and 571.
Those that do not take the detour proceed into Carthage and take “V” Hwy to N. Garrison then South to Carthage.Beginning early next week, and for about the next 45 days, MODOT will begin resurfacing both the “E” Hwy. detour route AND the “V” Hwy. bypass in Carthage AT THE SAME TIME!
The details below indicate that those roads will be limited to only one lane with pilot cars escorting the long lines of traffic that will surely form. Naturally this is all happening at the beginning of the summer travel season and will just cause many travelers to either avoid Carthage all together or to keep going through town without stopping to make-up for lost time. Poor planning if you ask me.
The Boots Motel reopened this summer to overnight travelers with about a half-dozen restored rooms. It had been used as apartments for about a decade until its preservation-minded new owners took over last fall.
Perhaps the road problems with be somewhat alleviated by this recent Reuters story, with the Boots as the main focus. The story was picked up by a wide variety of other news services all over the Internet.
I hope this head’s-up will not discourage Route travelers from visiting Carthage. The first alternate Route is still the best way to go as it is only two-miles long with the “V” Hwy portion just a mile in length. Traffic should move a little better there than on the “official” detour which is much longer and includes large trucks.
A small correction to the story….I am not the “general manager”, but assist the Boots Owners as their “property manager”. They do have a manager named Debby (no relation to Debye Harvey, the co-owner.) The Route 66 Chamber of Commerce currently operates from an office at the Boots Motel. Thanks.
I agree, poor planning by MODOT. Let’s hope that the adventurous spirit of Route 66 travelers will cause them to see these obstacles as a little extra excitement on their journey. In reference to Ron Hart’s comment in the Reuter’s story about people wanting to see the real America and not Walt Disney’s version–I chuckled a bit at that, Ron. I personally know people who have come from England to drive Route 66 because of Walt Disney/Pixar’s CARS. In fact, I know many Disney people from oversees who have become fascinated with small town America thanks to Main Street U.S.A. that’s the entry way to Disneyland and all Magic Kingdom parks in Orlando, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, and soon to be Shanghai. I’ve always thought it was a shame that Marceline, Missouri, Walt’s boyhood home and the prototype of Main Street, U.S.A. wasn’t a little closer to Route 66.