Edmond, Oklahoma, and the Chicago community of North Lawndale are considering significant changes to their stretches of Route 66.
The Oklahoman recently reported that Edmond is taking a hard look at Broadway south of downtown, which served as Route 66 from 1926 to 1954.
Between Second and the south edge of town, the road is wide and in poor shape, at times is congested, has some vacant lots and properties and doesn’t present an encouraging atmosphere for future development.
In short, it’s a pass-through for people on their way to somewhere else. Now city leaders want to explore if it’s time for a change to bring more life to the area.
“This road has become a transportation corridor to get to other places, not a place to stay and enjoy the surrounding environment,” said David Chapman, an outgoing member of the Edmond City Council. “There is no walkability or biking options on the entire corridor. Restaurants have a lot of options right now about where to locate, and my guess is many of those locations are more desirable than south Broadway.”
Broadway’s Route 66 heritage isn’t mentioned in the article, but the corridor definitely is not tourist-friendly or distinctive. In fact, Edmond failed to protect many of its historic structures, save for downtown. So it will be interesting to see what it does with this Broadway conundrum.
Meanwhile, StreetsBlog Chicago reports the North Lawndale neighborhood on the west side of Chicago wants to make Ogden Avenue (aka Route 66) more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly between Pulaski Road and Western Avenue.
Upgrades could include improving “roadway geometry,” intersections safety, and crosswalks. In addition to repaving the road, CDOT will install new sidewalk and curbs; bike facilities, and potentially repurpose the parallel service drives. There will also be new street lighting, traffic signal upgrades, pavement markings and signage, paver parkways, and wheelchair ramps. In addition the department will install neighborhood gateway elements, street trees, and landscaping.
“It’s a very exciting project for the 24th Ward,” said Scott. “It is time to reimagine Ogden Boulevard, and we plan to do this from Pulaski all the way to Roosevelt Road. So it’s an exciting time for Ogden because if you live on Ogden, then you know it’s Route 66, a speedway like a highway. And so, these are going to be some measures to slow that traffic down and also beautify Ogden.”
The project will be taking public input through at least winter 2024.
Ogden Avenue, to my recollection, has some of the same problems as Edmond’s Broadway. Motorists drive too fast, and many parts of it don’t look different from any other urban street.
For both Edmond and North Lawndale, improving those roads will require the involvement of their respective state governments. So this will be a lengthy process.
But with Route 66’s centennial just a few years away, expect more of these proposals to come down the pipeline — especially with medium and large cities along the route.
(Image of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway underpass of Ogden Avenue by Eric Allix Rogers via Flickr)