Old US 66

[adt1982]

Another thing to keep in mind regarding all the 66 signs and such is that 66 is HUGE among people from other countries, particularly European.  I read an article that the 66 museum in Pontiac, IL, had visitors from either 30 or 40 countries in 2011. 

[A.J. Bertin]

I would highly recommend driving old 66. You see a lot of things you don't get on the Interstate, and you have a lot more opportunities for scenery photos in Arizona and New Mexico. Very few of the towns are kitschy; in fact, most of the Route 66 memorabilia are from old places that are either kept up in original condition, somewhat restored, or left to rust into oblivion. I wasn't that big on Route 66 until I started driving it, but I'm a huge fan now.

Good to know. Thanks, Steve!

[agentsteel53]

This may be even more true of US 10 west of Fargo

quite correct.  doing US-10 instead of I-94/I-90 is a very fun trip in and of itself. lots of small towns, dirt roads, etc. 

or US 99 outside northern Oregon and far southern California

another one with lots and lots to see.  due to the mountainous terrain north of Mount Shasta, a lot of the road exists only in bits and pieces.  in the central valley, there are several two-lane alignments to be found but they indeed are rare since a lot of 99 was upgraded in place as early as the 1930s to four-lane.  I believe the first 3-lane rural segment of 99 in California was done by 1929, and the first four-lane by 1935.

[Scott5114]

Most US highways have old alignments that contain some goodies. It's hardly limited to 66. Many of them are fairly obvious on a map with a suitable scale like a DeLorme Atlas.

[Alps]

Most US highways have old alignments that contain some goodies. It's hardly limited to 66. Many of them are fairly obvious on a map with a suitable scale like a DeLorme Atlas.

Oh, definitely. Especially through the southern midwest and south where a lot of new four-lanes have been built.

[wphiii]

Not a lot of people realize U.S. 66 cut across the southeastern corner of Kansas, but Kansas has embraced that short segment. It's well-signed and there are lots of museums and attractions along the way.

This is one of my favorite portions of Route 66 (perhaps because it's one of the few stretches whose corridor hasn't been fully supplanted by an Interstate), I love Baxter Springs and the little general store in Riverton.

[wphiii]

Another thing to keep in mind regarding all the 66 signs and such is that 66 is HUGE among people from other countries, particularly European.  I read an article that the 66 museum in Pontiac, IL, had visitors from either 30 or 40 countries in 2011.

It makes sense when you think about it; America (thanks to its unique geography) pioneered the trans-continental road trip, which is a pretty romantic concept that Route 66 effectively epitomizes the roots of.

[seicer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2nLieCOCxI

"Route 66 is iconic. Why?

Route 66 has gained a reputation as the United States of America's most famous road. How did that happen, and why does it still matter?

In this episode of Vox Almanac, Vox's Phil Edwards explores the history of the road and the textures of its present, from the road itself to the roadside attractions along the way, to the people who enjoy its diversions and those who help maintain them. It reveals a road that's changed a lot over the decades but remains vital in unexpected ways.

When Cyrus Avery helped found Route 66 in the 1920s, he strived to create a road that would connect the Midwest to the West, and he resorted to promotional tricks and wheeling and dealing to get it done. The road quickly became a key route for migrants escaping the dust bowl and depression, forming its early reputation as "the Mother Road."

That's because it's a road that's more than a strip of concrete (or gravel, or dirt). It's a historical document of everyone who's traveled on it – as the many contributions from Vox's YouTube subscribers show, that keeps it going even as the interstates run alongside it."

[Brian556]

That is awesome!    I really hope more places along the Mother Road will step up & do the same.  I went to Glorieta, NM a month ago on a teen church camp.  It was really interesting how New Mexico gave businesses their own exit ramp when they built I-40.  Now most of these businesses are shut down & derelict.   

Can you post Google Map links to these? Thanks

[cjk374]

That is awesome!    I really hope more places along the Mother Road will step up & do the same.  I went to Glorieta, NM a month ago on a teen church camp.  It was really interesting how New Mexico gave businesses their own exit ramp when they built I-40.  Now most of these businesses are shut down & derelict.   

Can you post Google Map links to these? Thanks

Exit 284, on I-40/US 54/historic US 66. If you pan up and down the interstate, you will see that this exit has no BGS identifying...anything...about this exit. :

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.9993241,-104.5316346,3a,75y,88.54h,75.61t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sQSroIrvkjV3zSjbxzGnUXQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

Exit 239...no BGSs, no signs of any businesses. Perhaps ranch access on the north side of 40/66? But I did find a unique NMDOT district line sign.

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.9914446,-105.2909293,3a,75y,292.22h,95.46t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sn2qzfvQzwDKy1-ARNcpRmg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

The next exit...234...only has a "big" blue sign and a business to support it. It also has 2 exit ramps on the westbound side for just that one business:

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.9937475,-105.3656642,1091a,35y,288.21h,44.82t/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

Then I exited at Cline's Corner and took US 285 north. I saw no more of old 66 after that.

[fredmcain]

That is awesome!    I really hope more places along the Mother Road will step up & do the same.  I went to Glorieta, NM a month ago on a teen church camp.  It was really interesting how New Mexico gave businesses their own exit ramp when they built I-40.  Now most of these businesses are shut down & derelict.   

Can you post Google Map links to these? Thanks

Exit 284, on I-40/US 54/historic US 66. If you pan up and down the interstate, you will see that this exit has no BGS identifying...anything...about this exit. :

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.9993241,-104.5316346,3a,75y,88.54h,75.61t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sQSroIrvkjV3zSjbxzGnUXQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

Exit 239...no BGSs, no signs of any businesses. Perhaps ranch access on the north side of 40/66? But I did find a unique NMDOT district line sign.

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.9914446,-105.2909293,3a,75y,292.22h,95.46t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sn2qzfvQzwDKy1-ARNcpRmg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

The next exit...234...only has a "big" blue sign and a business to support it. It also has 2 exit ramps on the westbound side for just that one business:

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.9937475,-105.3656642,1091a,35y,288.21h,44.82t/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

Then I exited at Cline's Corner and took US 285 north. I saw no more of old 66 after that.

Route 66 signage can be half-way decent in some areas, poor in other areas, abysmal in other areas and down-right non-existent in still other areas.
I think I've probably shared this on this group before, but just to reiterate, this is the kind of signage that is needed for 66:

http://www.bringbackroute66.com/signs.html

As a great nation of travel lovers, I just cannot fathom why this can't be done.  I continue to believe that a full scale recommissioning of the "66"  U.S. Route designation along a combination of historic and modern alignments is the only way this will happen.

I have contacted the state DOTs involved in the past and they have let me know that they think that the historic and "byway"  markers are sufficient.  Reading between the lines, the state DOTs LOVE those kinds of markers because they come out of someone else's budget.

In the last two years, the idea has been advanced to establish Route 66 as a "National Historic Trail"   (NHT).  I believe this would improve signage but the sad reality is that it is most certainly not a sure thing.  Last year the House passed this legislation only to have it die in the Senate.  Now so far this year, no one has reintroduced it yet as far as I know and, let's be frank, 2019 is winding down.  It's already September.

I don't know if the issue of inadequate signage on Route 66 will ever be addressed.  I guess our government has more important issues out there.
But we area still further ahead than we were 30 years ago, I guess.

Best Regards,
Fred M. Cain

[ozarkman417]

Me and one of my parents have been wanting to drive the Route 66 highway in New Mexico & Arizona but unfortunately if we fly, we have to rent a car. If we rent a car then I, an 15 (will be 16) year old will not be able to drive, which was the main point. If I did decide to drive but crashed, insurance won't cover it.

Last year, I encountered a group of British tourists traveling the old highway in Claremore, OK at the Will Rogers Museum.

[english si]

Route 66 signage can be half-way decent in some areas, poor in other areas, abysmal in other areas and down-right non-existent in still other areas.

While incredibly true (I've spent quite a bit of time recently looking at it in OK, TX and NM on Streetview), what was being meant was NM upgrading US66 into I-40 adding interchanges for every clump of businesses, no matter how small, which means that these interchanges either serve one business, or nothing now, and so the only thing to sign is 'Exit 239'.

And US66 Historic is not worth signing at these sort of minor interchanges on I-40 anyway (not that it exists at the specific interchanges referred to as no frontage/service road with the interstate obliterating the former road) - if you wanted US66 Historic, you'd have joined it at any of the other junctions where it also meets/ is right nearby, because that's almost every junction!

[thenetwork]

The problem I encountered the few times that I drove sections of Old 66 is that some thru segments that you CAN drive on between exits are not necessarily noted, or are bypassed, likely due to who maintains the road and/or the condition of the road.

Kinda like how in Colorado, CDOT fails to mark most still-active US highways which parallel the interstates.

[english si]

The problem I encountered the few times that I drove sections of Old 66 is that some thru segments that you CAN drive on between exits are not necessarily noted, or are bypassed, likely due to who maintains the road and/or the condition of the road.

Oh, totally. It's one of the abysmal signage things that US66 is hard to follow most of the time when it's on frontage roads (and a few places where it's in cities, towns and villages). What isn't an issue, however, is that it's not signed from every (certainly the beginning of a segment, or where they have diverged for a while) exit on the parallel interstates.

[nexus73]

What disappointed me on US 66 was the amount of decrepit towns.  Needles, Winslow, Tucumcari, Texoma, all looked like they are just a couple decades away from being blown away with the tumbleweeds.

My dream: A corporation interested in promoting US 66 tourism buys up these down at the heels places and gives them a full restoration.  Add in plenty of road repairs and signage.  Throw up plenty of billboards along I-40 to alert the freeway travelers of upcoming attractions.  Make US 66 truly beautiful again!

Rick

[Avalanchez71]

What parts of US 66 were four-laned first?  What is the worst preserved segment that is still passable by motor vehicle?

[TheGrassGuy]

Do most people taking Route 66 road trips just follow the parallel interstates? 55, 44, 40? About how often do they take the ACTUAL Route 66?

[Max Rockatansky]

Do most people taking Route 66 road trips just follow the parallel interstates? 55, 44, 40? About how often do they take the ACTUAL Route 66?

Well thing is in a lot of cases driving those Interstates often means you've been on later alignments of US 66.  For some reason there is this popular notion that US 66 wasn't ever co-signed with Interstate highways.  Who's to say which alignment of US 66 is the truest one?  I tend to try to find the earliest stuff I can but that's often ungraded dirt or long abandoned roads out in California and Arizona.  Is anymore legitimate than saying you drove a segment of US 66 that multiplexed I-40?

[US71]

Do most people taking Route 66 road trips just follow the parallel interstates? 55, 44, 40? About how often do they take the ACTUAL Route 66?

Most follow the ACTUAL US 66.(or what there is of it). There are several driving guides available showing different alignments, "lost" alignments, etc.

[US71]

What parts of US 66 were four-laned first?  What is the worst preserved segment that is still passable by motor vehicle?

I know Missouri had the first "upgrade" to Interstate standards, but I don't know if it was the first 4-Lane.

[Max Rockatansky]

What parts of US 66 were four-laned first?  What is the worst preserved segment that is still passable by motor vehicle?

I know Missouri had the first "upgrade" to Interstate standards, but I don't know if it was the first 4-Lane.

There was probably already existing four lane parts in major cities by November 1926.  Especially likely in Chicago and Los Angeles.  If we're talking expressway style designs then the Arroyo Seco Parkway and Cajon Pass in California would probably be high up there. 

[Scott5114]

I usually find the sweet spot for me is following US-66 alignments that are now posted as other state highways. That way a minimum level of maintenance can be expected, but there's still noticeable levels of US-66 kitsch. Good examples of the type are OK-66 and the segment of US-281 with the Canadian River pony truss bridge (the approaches of which seem to be on original Bates concrete).

[US71]

I usually find the sweet spot for me is following US-66 alignments that are now posted as other state highways. That way a minimum level of maintenance can be expected, but there's still noticeable levels of US-66 kitsch. Good examples of the type are OK-66 and the segment of US-281 with the Canadian River pony truss bridge (the approaches of which seem to be on original Bates concrete).

Some are, some aren't. However, most states now mark old 66, though it's sometimes a later alignment.

[Avalanchez71]

I usually find the sweet spot for me is following US-66 alignments that are now posted as other state highways. That way a minimum level of maintenance can be expected, but there's still noticeable levels of US-66 kitsch. Good examples of the type are OK-66 and the segment of US-281 with the Canadian River pony truss bridge (the approaches of which seem to be on original Bates concrete).

Some are, some aren't. However, most states now mark old 66, though it's sometimes a later alignment.

So could one consider driving on an iteration of US 66 if they are on I-40 in New Mexico take the I-40 Business Loops but not the frontage roads as driving US 66 in NM?  US 66 was on I-40 pavement before it was decommissioned.