Route 66 Musical Roads LLC has submitted plans to make musical roads on all eight states of Route 66 before the highway’s centennial in 2026.
The company has submitted the proposals to the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission, which has been requesting ideas.
For the uninitiated, the musical road concept is to create specially designed rumbled strips at the edge of a roadway that emit a certain pitch when a vehicle rolls over them at a certain speed. Install enough of the strips correctly, and you hear a melody.
According to a news release:
Founded by Chris Hill and Pete Thompson, Route 66 Musical Roads is working with (members of) the American Society of Civil Engineers with the aim to install at least one musical road in each of the states the road crosses – Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. […]
Hill said, “Music and driving have been perfect partners since the invention of the vehicle. To have multiple musical roads along U.S. Route 66, one in each state, is obvious to us.” Thompson said, “The chance to celebrate U.S Route 66 with these installations is just thrilling.” […]
“All you need is a fairly straight piece of asphalt. The road’s length determines the song’s duration. U.S. Route 66 could not be more perfect for this,” explains Thompson. “Musical Roads can be installed wherever there is an extended stretch of asphalt, and drivers can maintain a steady speed, making them versatile additions for highways, parking lots, campuses, driveways, and even airport runways.”
Route 66 Musical Roads LLC intend for all of the installation work is carried out by local crews. Hill said, “Each of these installations will be physically installed by each state, all we are doing is helping the process along. We want each state to really own their musical road.” […]
There will be much more than just the good vibrations, the company plans plenty of road markings and signage to complement the music. There might even be an app, so users can document, and upload their own experiences.
One such musical road existed on Route 66 near Tijeras, New Mexico, that played “America the Beautiful” when vehicles rolled over specially designed rumble strips at 45 mph. Hill and Thompson, with the New Mexico Department of Transportation, were involved in the installation in 2014 as part of the National Geographic television show, “Crowd Control.”
However, the sign marking the musical road was taken down, and it reportedly no longer plays the melody in its entirety.
(Image of a sign near the now-defunct musical road along Route 66 in Tijeras, New Mexico)