Interstate 15 in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., this week received new signs — in both directions — that direct motorists to Foothill Boulevard, aka historic Route 66.
According to the Daily Breeze in Torrance, Calif:
“It’s my intent to again let the people know that this is part of Route 66,” said Edward Dietl, vice president of the California Historic Route 66 Association.
Dietl worked with city officials to install the brown signs that read “Historic Route 66, Foothill Boulevard Next Exit.”
“People come down from the 15 (Freeway) from Las Vegas and bypass Foothill Boulevard because they don’t know it’s Route 66 and go to Santa Monica instead,” he said.
“What I’m intending to do is bring the traffic tourism to come down the 15 and see the sign and get off onto Foothill Boulevard. That would bring in a lot of tourism tax dollars to the businesses and follow Route 66 through its termination and get us some local taxes.” […]
Rancho Cucamonga officials have been working for about a year with state transportation officials to meet the proper requirements to get the signs approved, Councilman Sam Spagnolo said.
This sort of directional sign has been part of many of the other Route 66 states. So it seems like a “better late than never” situation. But it’s good it happened.
UPDATE: The San Jose Mercury News has photos of workers installing the signs.
While the signs here are a first, California has many signs along I-40 and I-15 further east and north along 66 pointing to the Mother Road. Alas, Los Angeles City and County officials are even later to the game on this one. But the signs in Rancho Cucamonga are certainly a positive step and hopefully LA can follow suit.
Ditto – hopefully L.A.! With as much international tourism as Route 66 brings, and California’s obvious need for more tax revenue, people should be able to easily follow Route 66 directional signs from Needles at the border, all the way to the pier at the end, and everywhere in between. Of course it should be that way, all the way across from Chicago as well…
RT, unfortunately, the lack of interest of 66 among Angelinos is precisely because its tourism income is just a very small drop in a very large bucket of tourism dollars for the area.
As for our comment about the “end” at the Pier, I prefer to call the Pier a spiritual ending to a long trip as opposed to an actual terminus. Thus, actual historic signage should not appear there in my estimation.