A judge late Friday refused to grant a preliminary injunction against construction of the nine-mile Albuquerque Rapid Transit bus system that would go down the heart of Central Avenue, aka Route 66. Construction on ART likely will begin by the middle of next week. The project will take at least 15 months to complete. U.S. … Continue reading Judge refuses to stop Albuquerque Rapid Transit construction
The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program announced 10 cost-share grants totaling more than $103,000 to Route 66 businesses, according to a news release today from the program. Many of the grants went to renovating or improving historic properties along the Mother Road. The awardees are: Hualapai Tribal Route 66 Interpretive Project, Peach Springs, Ariz. ($10,000 grant, $10,000 … Continue reading Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program announces 10 grants
A pack of lawmakers is seeking an $800,000 grant from the state of New Mexico for a Route 66 visitors center on the east end of Albuquerque. A couple of sharp-eyed readers saw the line item in the long list of capital-outlays requests by the New Mexico Legislature. You can see the listing on the … Continue reading $800,000 grant sought for Route 66 visitors center in Albuquerque
The Albuquerque City Council just voted 7-1 to approve the designation of the historic El Vado Motel as a city landmark. The designation will take effect June 1, with a provision in the ordinance stating that no demolition permits can be issued for the property between now and then. Film at 11 (ABQ time, that … Continue reading 7 to 1 for El Vado
Highlights, quotes, etc. from the Albuquerque City Council meeting: Richard Gonzales, the developer who bought El Vado last fall with the intention of tearing it down and replacing it with luxury townhouses, started his comments to the council with this gem: I’m not prepared to make any presentation to you this evening, because I just … Continue reading Details from El Vado meeting
Elrond Lawrence was kind enough to let the Route 66 yahoogroup know that the March issue of Trains magazine is featuring Route 66 as its cover story. He says the article features early Route 66 crusader Angel Delgadillo; the town of Seligman, Ariz.; the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Ariz.; the Jackrabbit Trading Post; Cajon Pass … Continue reading Route 66 featured in Trains magazine
Here are more Route 66 news items I learned at the afternoon session of the Route 66 Summit in Albuquerque: — American Road magazine is expanding its Web site on June 30, complete with podcasts from our two-lane highways. — David Sheehan is currently traveling Route 66 to film a pilot episode about the Mother … Continue reading More scuttlebutt
I attended the morning session of the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Council on Thursday in Oklahoma City. There, I heard some news tidbits that should be of interest to roadies: Reluctant El Vado Motel owner Richard Gonzales is up to his old tricks again. This time, he’s filed for a demolition permit to raze the … Continue reading Scuttlebutt from the road
The documentary “Route 66: Ten Years Later” will have its debut at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Portage Theater in Chicago. Writer Tim Steil and photographer Jim Luning collaborated on their “Route 66” book during a Mother Road trip in 1999. A decade later, they decided to revisit the places they saw and see … Continue reading Notes from the road
Taking Hollywood types on a tour down historic Route 66 is getting to be old hat for best-selling nonfiction author Michael Wallis He hasn’t been guiding just Tinseltown actors, however. The first two tours Wallis guided were for employees of Pixar Animation Studios, who were researching the Mother Road for the 2006 summer hit movie, … Continue reading Michael Wallis takes Disney Imagineers down Mother Road
