Route 66 in Wellston, Oklahoma, is closed for about a year due to an overpass replacement on nearby Interstate 44, but a shorter detour will be available for regular vehicles.
According to Roads & Bridges, the $48 million project that began Tuesday aims to widen a section of the Turner Turnpike (aka I-44) from four to six lanes.
The Oklahoma Transportation Authority has offered the contractors $20,000 per day to finish the project early, so perhaps Route 66 will reopen faster than anticipated.
In the meantime, “EZ 66 Guide for Travelers” author Jerry McClanahan, who lives in nearby Chandler, Oklahoma, has kept track of the best way to get through the mess of detours around Wellston.
Because the 3-mile detour around Wellston is weight-restricted, it is for regular vehicles only. Large recreational vehicles and big trucks will have to use a 30-mile detour instead. McClanahan said the shorter detour should require seven to eight minutes of driving time.
Here are the details:
In another Facebook post on Tuesday, McClanahan also noted Google Maps wasn’t aware of the new detour, so don’t count on it to get through the area.
The overpass over Route 66 at Wellston was over 70 years old and past its useful life.
The closing of Route 66 will affect Butcher BBQ Stand and other businesses in Wellston. So it would be a good idea for travelers to make the extra effort to patronize them during this trying time.
Wellston also is home to Route 66B. Originally going through downtown Wellston, Route 66 was to be realigned to the south during the 1930s. The locals protested the bypass and persuaded officials to sign the original path as U.S. 66B.
(Image of a detour sign by Milan K via Flickr)