There is good news and bad news about traveling Old Route 66 between Glenrio and San Jon in New Mexico.
The bad news is a new bridge that would replace another span destroyed by flash flooding in May 2023 won’t be finished by Route 66’s centennial in 2026.
The good news is county road workers recently built a new gravel path through the creek bed that should be passable for most vehicles, though not after a rain.
Those facts came to light from county manager Daniel Zamora last week during a meeting of Tucumcari’s Route 66 Centennial Task Force. I covered the meeting for my day job.
First, a little background.
Old Route 66 between the Texas border town of Glenrio and San Jon consists of 17 miles of gravel road of the original alignment. The state ceded maintenance of the road several decades ago to county jurisdiction.
Though the old road is dusty, rough and washboarded in spots, innumerable Route 66 travelers take to it to experience what it might have been like during the 1920s and ’30s. Several ranchers also live on the road.
The county received several millions of dollars from the state government to build a new bridge on Old Route 66 over San Jon Creek and replace a 1930s wood-timber bridge there.
With the new bridge barely a week from completion, a humongous storm in May 2023 dumped an estimated 6-8 inches of rain over the area.
The subsequent flash flooding washed away the new bridge.
Ironically, the 1930s bridge — rated the worst in the state in terms of condition — survived the flooding and still stands.
The old span, however, has been condemned for vehicular use due to its age and uncertain damage from the flood. The old bridge will be left standing for the benefit of Route 66 travelers on foot.
The holdup for replacing the new bridge is the contractor didn’t carry insurance coverage on the destroyed bridge. The contractor cited the architect’s contract, stating insurance wasn’t required.
The architect disputes this, though the county’s attorney admits the contract was poorly worded.
Both parties have engaged in nearly 18 months of finger-pointing, and the county has sued them to resolve the matter. The trial is scheduled for next year, though a mediation hearing has been set for November.
Zamora last week informed Tucumcari’s Route 66 Task Force that although the lawsuit is proceeding, completion of any new bridge won’t happen before the highway’s centennial in 2026.
He said local officials should consider ways to alleviate the situation, including signs directing Old Route 66 travelers back to Interstate 40.
Zamora said the gravel path through the San Jon Creek bed should have signs near its approaches stating “Travel at your own risk” or a similar variant.
A mile or two from the old bridge are signs that state “Road Closed to Thru Traffic,” though there are no blockages to it.
Zamora expressed doubts about whether travelers — especially those in classic cars — should attempt to drive through the path due to the steepness of the approaches.
On Sunday, we decided to check it out for ourselves. Piloting a run-of-the-mill compact car, we drove down into and through the creek bed on its gravel surface to the other side with no problem at all. The inclines and descents didn’t bring any discomfort.
We should give a few caveats about that. Large trucks and large RVs probably shouldn’t attempt it. It’s unknown how a primitive path would handle heavy vehicles.
We wouldn’t attempt driving through that stretch after rain or when storms are visible. This is a part of the country where flash flooding can be quite serious and even life-threatening. Don’t even try driving through the creek bed if water is in it.
If the creek bed is impassible, detours are available. West of the area is Quay Road M, which leads to the ghost town of Bard at I-40. East of the area is Highway 96 at the ghost town of Endee, which leads to the TravelCenter of America truck stop on I-40.
If all else fails, you can simply double back to Glenrio or San Jon.
But the good news is the Old Route 66 path between Glenrio and San Jon is open again (Google Maps notwithstanding) and will remain so during good weather.
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