This summer, the governor signed the Illinois Route 66 Centennial Commission bill into law, and now the panel seeks three people to fill available seats, including one that will lead it. Unlike a lot of nominating rules, people in this instance can nominate themselves. Gov. Bruce Rauner has the last say over who gets the nod. … Continue reading Nominees sought for Illinois Route 66 Centennial Commission
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday evening approved by a voice vote the Route 66 National Historic Trail Act. The bill advances to the U.S. Senate for consideration. According to reports by the U.S. House clerk, lawmakers quickly suspended rules for debate and proceeded to vote on the bill, called HR 801, without objection. … Continue reading U.S. House passes Route 66 National Historic Trail bill
A bill to name Route 66 a National Historic Trail has received a lot of attention in Congress and from the media. But a second Route 66 bill also is quietly advancing through the halls of Washington. Last week, the U.S. House’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced H.R. 66, known as the Route 66 Centennial … Continue reading U.S. House committee advances Route 66 centennial bill
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner on Tuesday signed and enacted a bill that creates a state Route 66 Centennial Commission. According to a news release, the signing took place Tuesday in Plainfield. The commission is tasked with developing plans for the 100th anniversary of Route 66 in 2026. The Illinois Route 66 Centennial Commission will consist … Continue reading Governor signs Illinois Route 66 Centennial Commission bill
Today, when the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a bill to set up a federal-level 100th anniversary commission for Route 66, two Midwestern states also are poised to set up their commissions to mark the road’s centennial in 2026. Missouri’s governor signed such a bill into law this year, and Illinois’ … Continue reading Two states poised to celebrate Route 66’s centennial in 2026
The fate of an original section of Route 66 in Springfield, Missouri, remains up in the air after the Kum & Go convenience-store chain recently bought the property on which it sits. The Springfield News-Leader reports the piece of road on 2.9 acres on the southeast corner of Glenstone Avenue and Kearney Street (map here) … Continue reading UPDATED: Original section of Route 66 to be paved over after convenience-store chain buys it
As many readers know, flash flooding in September 2014 destroyed dozens of bridges and made huge stretches of old Route 66 in California’s Mojave Desert impassable for months. Fifteen months later, all of Route 66 in the desert is open except for a section west of Ludlow, California — which can be bypassed via the north … Continue reading Will the Mountain Springs Road section of Route 66 reopen?
Route 66 fans, preservationists and area leaders met Wednesday at the historic Coleman Theatre in Miami, Oklahoma, to discuss ways to preserve an ancient stretch of Route 66 between Miami and Afton called the Sidewalk Highway or Ribbon Road. The group emerged with a consensus to talk to the Ottawa County board of commissioners, which … Continue reading Preservationists will approach county to preserve Sidewalk Highway
The Route 66: The Road Ahead Initiative is seeking to have Route 66 advocates lobby their local U.S. representative and senator to co-sponsor two bills working their way through Congress. The bills are HR 801, which would name Route 66 as a National Historic Trail, and HR 66, which would set up a Route 66 … Continue reading Route 66 bills in Congress need co-sponsors
The Cochiti Pueblo has blocked access to La Bajada Hill, an area where a 1920s alignment of Route 66 zigzagged down the mesa south of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The pueblo is blocking the historic site to prevent further abuse from visitors, reported the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper. At the base of the 600-foot … Continue reading Pueblo blocks access to La Bajada Hill
