The town of Williams, Arizona, was the last Route 66 town to be bypassed by the interstate 40 years ago. The actual date was on Oct. 13, 1984, when 500 people gathered at Interstate 40's new Grand Canyon Boulevard exit to mark the assumed end of the highway. Bobby Troup, who wrote the immortal song … Continue reading Route 66 in Williams was bypassed 40 years ago
Category: Highways
Munger Moss Motel founders among those going into Laclede County Route 66 Wall of Fame
A husband and wife team who moved the Munger Moss restaurant to Lebanon, Missouri, and built a famous motel of the same name were among those who will be inducted into the 2025 Laclede County Route 66 Wall of Fame. Pete and Jessie Hudson moved the Munger Moss Sandwich Shop from Devils Elbow, Missouri, to … Continue reading Munger Moss Motel founders among those going into Laclede County Route 66 Wall of Fame
Op-ed urges land that includes La Bajada Hill be declared a national monument
We usually don't feature letters to the editor from newspapers. But this one recently published in the Santa Fe New Mexican is intriguing enough to take a closer look. Andrew Black wrote that President Joe Biden and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, in the final days of their administrations, ought to declare the 106,000-acre Caja del … Continue reading Op-ed urges land that includes La Bajada Hill be declared a national monument
Bridge for Old Route 66 between Glenrio and San Jon won’t be ready by 2026, but path is passable
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 … Continue reading Bridge for Old Route 66 between Glenrio and San Jon won’t be ready by 2026, but path is passable
Route 66 closes at Wellston for about a year; shorter detour is available for regular vehicles
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 … Continue reading Route 66 closes at Wellston for about a year; shorter detour is available for regular vehicles
Construction project west of Pony Bridge will close Route 66 for a few months starting Sept. 9
Less than a half-year after the Pony Bridge near Bridgeport, Oklahoma, reopened to traffic, Route 66 will be closed for up to five months due to another bridge project. The Town of Bridgeport stated on Facebook a replacement project for the so-called Tower Bridge just west of the Pony Bridge will begin on Sept. 9. … Continue reading Construction project west of Pony Bridge will close Route 66 for a few months starting Sept. 9
New video details the changes on Route 66 between 2007 and 2024
Route 66 enthusiast Mike Curtis, aka 2 Lane Traveler on YouTube, recently created a 20-minute video detailing the changes on the Mother Road from 2007 to 2024. The video thumbnail comes with a provocative question: "Thriving or dying?" (Spoiler alert: Definitely not dying; Curtis asserts the old road is simply changing.) https://youtu.be/qpNoshXr-bY?si=_dsqhgfTLccLQgKs The video is … Continue reading New video details the changes on Route 66 between 2007 and 2024
Section of Route 66 in Wellston to be closed for about a year, starting about Aug. 21
A small but significant section of Route 66 in Wellston, Oklahoma, will be closed for about a year while a bridge is being replaced on the adjacent Turner Turnpike. The road closure will begin about Aug. 21, with detours onto county roads. Joe Echelle of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority during a recent meeting provided details … Continue reading Section of Route 66 in Wellston to be closed for about a year, starting about Aug. 21
State official: “Two to three years of life remaining’ on Singing Road near Tijeras
A New Mexico Department of Transportation official told an Albuquerque television station that only two to three years of life are left for the so-called Singing Road on Route 66 in Tijeras. KRQE-TV told Kimberly Gallegos, a DOT public information officer, the rumble strips on Route 66 designed to play "America the Beautiful" when motorists … Continue reading State official: “Two to three years of life remaining’ on Singing Road near Tijeras
“Impossible Interviews” video series interviews Route 66 itself
Longtime readers probably know of Roberto Rossi, a Route 66 enthusiast in Italy who published "Route 66: An American Myth" (review here) in 2017. Rossi now has started an "Impossible Interviews" series where he interviews Route 66 itself. https://youtu.be/5whmWFwcsVc?si=sR3LwK4Nn8Kb-nIg The ol' highway obviously can't talk, nor is it a sentient being. (Its voice, by the way, … Continue reading “Impossible Interviews” video series interviews Route 66 itself