Singing Road of Route 66 in Tijeras is fading; county mulls maintenance takeover

It’s been known that without regular upkeep, the so-called Singing Road portion of Route 66 near Tijeras, New Mexico, would continue to fade in volume and eventually go silent.

More than five years after the specially tuned rumble strips were created, the county is considering taking over maintenance of the Singing Road for the benefit of Route 66 travelers.

KRQE-TV in nearby Albuquerque had the story:

Now when you drive along on the singing road near Tijeras, residents say it’s a little harder to hear. “We know it’s there so we hear it right away,” says Angela Lybarger.
Tuesday, the song was easily overpowered by the wind. “It’s not the complete song anymore because of it being as old as it is,” Wiker says.
The singing road debuted near Tijeras back in 2014. Residents say not only has the tune faded, they’ve also noticed these musical road signs are no longer around. “It’s a shame to see different things go by the wayside and apparently that’s what’s happening to that,” Wiker says.

According to our archives, Tigress Productions created and paid for the Singing Road for a National Geographic Channel series, “Crowd Control.” The rumble strips near the road’s fog line play “America the Beautiful” if you drive a steady 45 mph over them.

Here’s what the Singing Road sounded like shortly after its construction:

Since then, the local RETRO Relive the Route group lobbied the state to take over the upkeep of that section, to no avail.

But the station reported that thanks to Bernalillo County, something may eventually get done:

Last month, the Bernalillo County Public Works Division reached out to the NMDOT to inquire about the county taking over the maintenance of the “Singing Road” in order to preserve this awesome landmark. We were told that the NMDOT was interested in meeting with the county to discuss a solution. We are also currently seeking assistance from local area legislators to preserve and protect this important community landmark.

Hopefully replacing the signs also would be on the to-do list. The rumble strips are difficult to find without them.

(Image of the Singing Road signs near Tijeras, New Mexico, in 2014)