Former longtime U.S. senator Pete Domenici of New Mexico, who introduced and shepherded several key pieces of Route 66 legislation, died Wednesday in Albuquerque after setbacks from abdominal surgery. He was 85.
Several obituaries about the six-term Republican lauded him for his bipartisanship and his mastery of budget, tax and energy issues until he retired in 2009. But a Google News search turned up no mention of his Route 66 work in Congress, which was substantial.
His crowning achievement for the Mother Road remains the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, which has provided more than $2 million in almost 150 cost-share grants to Route 66 stakeholders and provided vital technical assistance when the road was recovering from the interstate highway era.
He and U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, also of New Mexico, introduced the legislation in 1999 that ultimately established the program.
Domenici and fellow U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico also led the charge in 2008 to get the program renewed for another 10 years.
But Domenici’s interest in helping Route 66 went back to the 1980s. Here’s an excerpt from Michael Karl Witzel’s “Legendary Route 66” book:
In 1989, the grassroots movement to save 66 spread from state to national level when Senator Pete Domenici of New Mexico introduced a resolution before congress that proposed to authorize a study “of the feasibility of preserving the remaining portion of U.S. 66 and naming it a national scenic highway.” In an interview, Domenici explained his motivation for submitting this proposal by saying: “At one time, Route 66 was the most famous highway in America. It was a modern-day Santa Fe Trail, carrying thousands of migrating Americans to the West. … Unfortunately, Route 66 is fast fading from the landscape of America. All that remains are the vestiges of the highway and gas stations, curio shops, restaurants, motels, and other facilities that dotted the highway to serve travelers. Route 66 is perhaps the most historic highway in the entire country, so it’s more than appropriate that we take action to preserve it.”
Domenici was thinking about preserving Route 66 years before Michael Wallis’ best-selling “Route 66: The Mother Road” and 15 years before Disney-Pixar released the “Cars” movie. He obviously was aware of Route 66 because he was born in Albuquerque, but he was ahead of the curve.
Domenici’s 1989 proposal passed in the Congress the next year. It’s not a big leap of logic to see how that bill 10 years later led to the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program.
Domenici was known for many things. But it’s important to remember how important a role he played in Route 66’s renaissance.
The Albuquerque Journal reports a public memorial for Domenici will be at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque at 3 p.m. Saturday.
(Image of Pete Domenici via Wikimedia Commons)
