US 66 from Tulsa to St. Louis

[Alps]

I'll soon be traveling old 66, from where I left off in Tulsa (east of the city at the big ol' bridge) through Missouri. That'll bring me briefly into Kansas as well. Same question as in other threads:

~ Any truss bridges just off my route within a few miles?
~ Any ridiculously old and noteworthy signs just off my route, or even along it?
~ Any must-stops?
~ Any road closures I should know about?
~ Anything I'm not thinking of?

[bugo]

I'll soon be traveling old 66, from where I left off in Tulsa (east of the city at the big ol' bridge) through Missouri. That'll bring me briefly into Kansas as well. Same question as in other threads:

~ Any truss bridges just off my route within a few miles?
~ Any ridiculously old and noteworthy signs just off my route, or even along it?
~ Any must-stops?
~ Any road closures I should know about?
~ Anything I'm not thinking of?

There is the truss over Bird Creek just north of Catoosa.  We crossed this bridge during the Tulsa meet.  There were 2 bridges, but one of them was replaced.  I read that a business near Bird Creek had adopted the old bridge and it is now on their property, but I'm not sure where this is exactly.

There's also a truss on an old alignment near Chelsea, but I don't remember exactly where it is. 

There's the infamous Devil's Elbow bridge in Missouri.  Also be sure to drive the 4 lane expressway of route Z in the same area.

Watch your speed through Waynesville.  Those illiterate fucks gave me a ticket a few years ago for going 55 in a rural area that is signed 35 for some stupid reason.  And don't spend a dime there.

[US71]

-Chelsea, OK has an old thru truss on original 66 (north end of town, IIRC)
-There's a Marsh Arch in Kansas
-Concrete bridge over the MKT RR east of Galena on original 66
-An old truss on original 66 near Spencer (off Hwy 96)
-pony truss just west of Halltown on original 66

if you like old gas stations:
-4 Women on the Route in Galena, KS (on original 66): an old Kan o Tex : Oh wait! they may be closed for the Winter. Still worth looking at, IMO
-Gay Parita Sinclair near Halltown MO
-there's an old Sinclair station in Carterville that being converted into a 66 info center
-A couple old stations in Commerce, OK
-Vintage DX Station and a Packard museum in Afton (say HI to Ms Laurel if she's working )

There's a possible detour at Carthage (old bridge coming down at the railroad), but I'm trying to double check the timeline. UPDATE: construction probably will begin in May. MoDOT will have an official detour. Local businesses will have maps with an alternate detour.

-Miami, OK has a bunch of old 4-way signals
If you're hungry, stop at Waylan's Ku-Ku in Miami: a 66 original

I don't know of any old signs, off-hand.

But there's the "sidewalk highway" alignment of 66 north of Afton, OK

Original 66 follows Mo 100 from near Washington, MO to near St Louis

Missouri has 66 guides signs everywhere. Oklahoma is a mixed bag. I haven't checked Kansas lately.

[Alps]

There's the infamous Devil's Elbow bridge in Missouri.  Also be sure to drive the 4 lane expressway of route Z in the same area.

I plan to try to do both the old and new alignments. Assuming these are the same location, right? (4-lane Hwy Z bypassed the old 2-lane - is Devil's Elbow the old 2-lane?)

There's a possible detour at Carthage (old bridge coming down at the railroad), but I'm trying to double check the timeline. UPDATE: construction probably will begin in May. MoDOT will have an official detour. Local businesses will have maps with an alternate detour.

I should be through there just in time. Is this at the northeast side of town or somewhere to the west?

[US71]

I plan to try to do both the old and new alignments. Assuming these are the same location, right? (4-lane Hwy Z bypassed the old 2-lane - is Devil's Elbow the old 2-lane?)

Technically they're both "Devils Elbow"
http://bridgehunter.com/mo/pulaski/piney-truss/  (original)
http://bridgehunter.com/mo/pulaski/piney-arch/ (1942)

There's a possible detour at Carthage (old bridge coming down at the railroad), but I'm trying to double check the timeline. UPDATE: construction probably will begin in May. MoDOT will have an official detour. Local businesses will have maps with an alternate detour.

I should be through there just in time. Is this at the northeast side of town or somewhere to the west?

Northeast, over the RR yard.
"Local" detour in 571 north to 96, stay north on old 71 to Route V (old ALT 66), then east on V back to MO 96.

A mile north is on old 71 is where the 71 expressway comes through at Routes V D   

[Rick1962]

~ Any ridiculously old and noteworthy signs just off my route, or even along it?
~ Any must-stops?

There's an original 1958 trailblazer for the Will Rogers Turnpike on eastbound Will Rogers Blvd. in Claremore a few blocks east of downtown.

Waylan's Ku-Ku (the last of an old hamburger chain) is on the route in Miami north of downtown.

[US71]

~ Any ridiculously old and noteworthy signs just off my route, or even along it?
~ Any must-stops?

There's an original 1958 trailblazer for the Will Rogers Turnpike on eastbound Will Rogers Blvd. in Claremore a few blocks east of downtown.

Waylan's Ku-Ku (the last of an old hamburger chain) is on the route in Miami north of downtown.

There used to be a trailblazer for Will Rogers on K-26, about 1/2 a block south of K-66 in Galena, but it's been 3-4 years ago.

[agentsteel53]

There's an original 1958 trailblazer for the Will Rogers Turnpike on eastbound Will Rogers Blvd. in Claremore a few blocks east of downtown.

can anyone get us a detailed photo of this sign? 

[okroads]

~ Any ridiculously old and noteworthy signs just off my route, or even along it?
~ Any must-stops?

There's an original 1958 trailblazer for the Will Rogers Turnpike on eastbound Will Rogers Blvd. in Claremore a few blocks east of downtown.

Waylan's Ku-Ku (the last of an old hamburger chain) is on the route in Miami north of downtown.

There used to be a trailblazer for Will Rogers on K-26, about 1/2 a block south of K-66 in Galena, but it's been 3-4 years ago.

I drove K-26 southbound in August and don't remember seeing the Will Rogers trailblazer.

[US71]

I drove K-26 southbound in August and don't remember seeing the Will Rogers trailblazer.

DRAT! They must have taken it down

[bugo]

There's an original 1958 trailblazer for the Will Rogers Turnpike on eastbound Will Rogers Blvd. in Claremore a few blocks east of downtown.

There is?  Do you have a picture?  That would be worth driving to Claremore to see.

[Alps]

There's an original 1958 trailblazer for the Will Rogers Turnpike on eastbound Will Rogers Blvd. in Claremore a few blocks east of downtown.

There is?  Do you have a picture?  That would be worth driving to Claremore to see.

Don'tt give it away or they'll take it down...

[brianreynolds]

Not directly on old US-66, but the Y-bridge in Galena is not far off your route.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y-Bridge_(Galena,_Missouri)
If you are doing the old road westbound, maybe catch this on your way back.  Or vice-versa.  Or not.

--
Brian Reynolds
Hastings Michigan

[US71]

Not directly on old US-66, but the Y-bridge in Galena is not far off your route.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y-Bridge_(Galena,_Missouri)
If you are doing the old road westbound, maybe catch this on your way back.  Or vice-versa.  Or not.

--
Brian Reynolds
Hastings Michigan

Roughly an hour south. There is also a remnant of an earlier bridge a couple blocks south.

[agentsteel53]

Don'tt give it away or they'll take it down...

I'm hoping the sign thieves get to it before the DOT does.

sign thieves preserve history.  DOT melts it down to make guardrails. 

fuck the DOT.

[Brian556]

I'm hoping the sign thieves get to it before the DOT does.

sign thieves preserve history.  DOT melts it down to make guardrails. 

fuck the DOT.

Amen.
This is really an exellent point. In general, sign stolen by the public or taken home by DOT employees are the only ones that survive.

[Grzrd]

I'm hoping the sign thieves get to it before the DOT does.
sign thieves preserve history.  DOT melts it down to make guardrails. 
fuck the DOT.

Serious question: Does the Smithsonian attempt to collect historic signage?  If not, have there ever been any organized roadgeek efforts to persuade the Smithsonian as to the historic significance of the signage?

[Alps]

Not directly on old US-66, but the Y-bridge in Galena is not far off your route.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y-Bridge_(Galena,_Missouri)
If you are doing the old road westbound, maybe catch this on your way back.  Or vice-versa.  Or not.

--
Brian Reynolds
Hastings Michigan

Roughly an hour south. There is also a remnant of an earlier bridge a couple blocks south.

An hour ain't gonna cut it, unfortunately. If it were on another part of the route I would do it, but I have two days to get from Tulsa to Joliet for the meet and that includes romping around St. Louis. I wish it were on the north side of 64. ):

If you like abandoned stuff theirs a old deck truss bridge in Shakopee that's now open as a pedestrian bridge, the Old Cedar Bridge is a through truss that's now closed and about ready to fall into the swamp. There's ongoing argument about whether to restore it or demolish it and build something fresh. Also there is the Hennepin Ave suspension bridge...

I have no idea where to look in Shakopee or where the Old Cedar Bridge would be. Is the Hennepin Ave. bridge the one in downtown just east of the end of 394, or elsewhere? I found all the others you had mentioned.

[Scott5114]

I'm hoping the sign thieves get to it before the DOT does.
sign thieves preserve history.  DOT melts it down to make guardrails. 
fuck the DOT.

Serious question: Does the Smithsonian attempt to collect historic signage?  If not, have there ever been any organized roadgeek efforts to persuade the Smithsonian as to the historic significance of the signage?

Why bother with the Smithsonian? If someone with a lot of signs really wanted to they could put together a museum of road signage. Might get some interest from the general public. Would be a roadgeek's dream, though, especially if you started at the entrance with a bunch of 1926 era signs, gradually progressing to the 1948 MUTCD, then the early Interstate era...if there was enough space you could even put up some old BGSes...

</never going to happen>

[US71]

Why bother with the Smithsonian? If someone with a lot of signs really wanted to they could put together a museum of road signage. Might get some interest from the general public. Would be a roadgeek's dream, though, especially if you started at the entrance with a bunch of 1926 era signs, gradually progressing to the 1948 MUTCD, then the early Interstate era...if there was enough space you could even put up some old BGSes...

</never going to happen>

Never say never. It would be interesting to see if there is such a collection. I'm sure some state highway departments may have a private collection.

Someday, when I'm filthy rich, maybe I'll start a roadsign museum

[NE2]

It might be worthwhile to partner with a railroad museum, such as these guys: https://www.aaroads.com/blog/2010/10/20/the-laws-railroad-museum/

[rte66man]

Sorry I missed the thread until today.  The US66 bridge at Hazlegreen over the Gasconade?? River is cool.  Take a few minutes to veer off near Chelsea, OK to see the Totem Pole park.

rte66man

[The High Plains Traveler]

Not directly on old US-66, but the Y-bridge in Galena is not far off your route.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y-Bridge_(Galena,_Missouri)
If you are doing the old road westbound, maybe catch this on your way back.  Or vice-versa.  Or not.

--
Brian Reynolds
Hastings Michigan

Roughly an hour south. There is also a remnant of an earlier bridge a couple blocks south.

An hour ain't gonna cut it, unfortunately. If it were on another part of the route I would do it, but I have two days to get from Tulsa to Joliet for the meet and that includes romping around St. Louis. I wish it were on the north side of 64. ):

If you like abandoned stuff theirs a old deck truss bridge in Shakopee that's now open as a pedestrian bridge, the Old Cedar Bridge is a through truss that's now closed and about ready to fall into the swamp. There's ongoing argument about whether to restore it or demolish it and build something fresh. Also there is the Hennepin Ave suspension bridge...

I have no idea where to look in Shakopee or where the Old Cedar Bridge would be. Is the Hennepin Ave. bridge the one in downtown just east of the end of 394, or elsewhere? I found all the others you had mentioned.

Kinda OT for this thread, but the pedestrian bridge referenced in Shakopee is the old old U.S. 169 bridge over the south part of the Minnesota River. I say "old old" because MnDOT rebuilt the bridge to the east of the original 1920s crossing in conjunction with a project that moved U.S. 169 and MN-101 to the north of downtown, in the 1980s, just before those roads were all turned over to Scott County. U.S. 169 now bypasses Shakopee to the south and crosses at the location of the historic Bloomington Ferry Bridge, which I think is also still there as a bike and pedestrian crossing.

The Old Cedar Avenue Bridge is west of the current MN-77 Minnesota River crossing. It was an 1890s wooden deck swing bridge that was bypassed in the 1980s - I drove over it a few times. For a long time, the northern approach was maintained as a bike and pedestrian access by (might be wrong here) city of Bloomington, providing access to the wetlands on the north side of the river.

Hennepin Avenue bridge in downtown Minneapolis is the modern (1980s-90s) re-creation of the 19th century suspension bridge originally built here, that was replaced by a concrete span in the 20th century. It is notable for being the 2nd-shortest suspension bridge in the U.S. Marching bands have to break step going across it. It's very pretty at night but not the design you'd pick for this length of crossing.

[codyg1985]

Watching this thread with interest since I would like to do something like this as well in the near future.

[texaskdog]

I believe the Bloomington Ferry Bridge went away and was replaced by a new bike/hike bridge in the same location.  Seem to remember driving down to it years ago before I moved away.