Old US 66

[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.

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. 

Your best bet is the 66 travel guides, unless you just want to navigate by seat of your pants.

[Max Rockatansky]

The amusing thing is that this phenomenon of "which alignment is the real one?"  also can be found with other decommissioned US Routes.  Example; US 99 has just as many former alignments that are just as varied as US 66 had. 

[Avalanchez71]

Well I believe some may argue, however, if US 66 lets say ran down 4th Avenue but before that it ran down Broadway in lets say Sayre, OK.  Which one is true?  I say either way if you drove down one, you drove down one.

[sparker]

The amusing thing is that this phenomenon of "which alignment is the real one?"  also can be found with other decommissioned US Routes.  Example; US 99 has just as many former alignments that are just as varied as US 66 had. 

In the Lincoln Heights and Highland Park areas of eastern L.A., it seems that either US 66 or US 99 was routed, at one point or another between 1926 and 1934-35, down almost every major arterial, largely due to the hilly regional topology.  Of course, this was in the era when those routes were being posted by ACSC (Auto Club of SoCal) and had only loosely-defined connections to state-maintained facilities, which themselves were in something of a state of flux within the city limits of L.A. and its adjoining suburbs.  Some of these have been posted as historical routes on streets and/or arteries that were either never officially adopted, but served as interim connectors; others, such as historical US 99 posted on Valley Blvd. and North Main Street (which was actually original US 60 before the Ramona Parkway was opened in 1935-36 -- but that route doesn't have its own historical preservation group in L.A.) were actual state highways but only for an extremely short period.  Attempting to reconcile routings that date back as far as the mid-1920's is almost like a game of "whack-a-mole"; you determine that one was used for a while, but alternates seem to pop up the deeper one searches.

[Max Rockatansky]

The amusing thing is that this phenomenon of "which alignment is the real one?"  also can be found with other decommissioned US Routes.  Example; US 99 has just as many former alignments that are just as varied as US 66 had. 

In the Lincoln Heights and Highland Park areas of eastern L.A., it seems that either US 66 or US 99 was routed, at one point or another between 1926 and 1934-35, down almost every major arterial, largely due to the hilly regional topology.  Of course, this was in the era when those routes were being posted by ACSC (Auto Club of SoCal) and had only loosely-defined connections to state-maintained facilities, which themselves were in something of a state of flux within the city limits of L.A. and its adjoining suburbs.  Some of these have been posted as historical routes on streets and/or arteries that were either never officially adopted, but served as interim connectors; others, such as historical US 99 posted on Valley Blvd. and North Main Street (which was actually original US 60 before the Ramona Parkway was opened in 1935-36 -- but that route doesn't have its own historical preservation group in L.A.) were actual state highways but only for an extremely short period.  Attempting to reconcile routings that date back as far as the mid-1920's is almost like a game of "whack-a-mole"; you determine that one was used for a while, but alternates seem to pop up the deeper one searches.

Personally I think one of the cooler AASHO Database finds was that US 66 was supposed to end at US 99 in San Fernando (which is also shown on the 1930 Division of Highways Map) but the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County more or less convinced the State/ACSC to do what they wanted without Executive Committee approval.  From what I can surmise in my own research both US 66 and US 99 moved almost every year until the Mid-1930s when the State decided the Division of Highways could maintain mileage in Cities.

[sparker]

The amusing thing is that this phenomenon of "which alignment is the real one?"  also can be found with other decommissioned US Routes.  Example; US 99 has just as many former alignments that are just as varied as US 66 had. 

In the Lincoln Heights and Highland Park areas of eastern L.A., it seems that either US 66 or US 99 was routed, at one point or another between 1926 and 1934-35, down almost every major arterial, largely due to the hilly regional topology.  Of course, this was in the era when those routes were being posted by ACSC (Auto Club of SoCal) and had only loosely-defined connections to state-maintained facilities, which themselves were in something of a state of flux within the city limits of L.A. and its adjoining suburbs.  Some of these have been posted as historical routes on streets and/or arteries that were either never officially adopted, but served as interim connectors; others, such as historical US 99 posted on Valley Blvd. and North Main Street (which was actually original US 60 before the Ramona Parkway was opened in 1935-36 -- but that route doesn't have its own historical preservation group in L.A.) were actual state highways but only for an extremely short period.  Attempting to reconcile routings that date back as far as the mid-1920's is almost like a game of "whack-a-mole"; you determine that one was used for a while, but alternates seem to pop up the deeper one searches.

Personally I think one of the cooler AASHO Database finds was that US 66 was supposed to end at US 99 in San Fernando (which is also shown on the 1930 Division of Highways Map) but the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County more or less convinced the State/ACSC to do what they wanted without Executive Committee approval.  From what I can surmise in my own research both US 66 and US 99 moved almost every year until the Mid-1930s when the State decided the Division of Highways could maintain mileage in Cities.

If CA's DOH wanted to ensure routing over facilities they maintained, then snaking US 66 over the various Foothill Blvd. iterations through the northern San Gabriel Valley then up through the Crescenta Valley (La Canada/Crescenta, Tujunga, etc.) along LRN 9 would have ensured this; it wasn't until the '30's that L.A. started snapping up SF Valley tracts for future city expansion plus making sure they had access to the water runoff from the San Gabriel Mountains (hello, Chinatown!).  San Fernando, then just a community, incorporated during that time to fend off L.A. incursions (which eventually surrounded it!).  But it was pretty clear that the long-term goal was to extend US 66 into downtown L.A. rather than "out in the sticks".   That 1934 decision to allow city mileage pretty much cemented North Figueroa St./LRN 165 as the US 66 alignment -- that is, until the Arroyo Seco Parkway was constructed, with Figueroa becoming part of Alternate US 66 as the truck route between L.A. and Pasadena.   

[Avalanchez71]

Any of the old alignments save the state maintained highways have an indication of the former life of US 66?  I am talking about mile markers, bridge/culvert markers, or any trace of the old stuff.  I am not talking about Historical US 66 brown signs or those stupid Route US 66 fake signs.

[sparker]

Any of the old alignments save the state maintained highways have an indication of the former life of US 66?  I am talking about mile markers, bridge/culvert markers, or any trace of the old stuff.  I am not talking about Historical US 66 brown signs or those stupid Route US 66 fake signs.

There are a few artifacts along the former US 66 between Pasadena and San Bernardino; most of the bridge inventory numbers (the 53 series in L.A. county and 54 for S.B. county) remain intact if stenciled on a rail or abutment -- but except for the ones that were retained for the section east of San Dimas that was CA 66, there's no indication that US 66 itself was ever on the alignment (the originals were marked when it was LRN 9 or LRN 161, but the bridge inventory numbers didn't break out the route numbers until specific separate bridge signage was updated post-'64).  IIRC, there were several structures along CA 66 that carried such signage, referring, of course to the "remnant" state highway -- but those would have been the sole "piece of history" that could be identified as connected to the number "66" in any form. 

[ClassicHasClass]

I'm not even sure there would be that much. US 66 died officially with the Great Renumbering, so all that would be left (if anything) would be LRNs and station markers, maybe C blocks.

[US71]

Any of the old alignments save the state maintained highways have an indication of the former life of US 66?  I am talking about mile markers, bridge/culvert markers, or any trace of the old stuff.  I am not talking about Historical US 66 brown signs or those stupid Route US 66 fake signs.

What about buildings? Lots of old buildings, some of which have been rehabilitated.   4 Women Cars on the Route (Galena, KS) comes to mind.

[Avalanchez71]

What was the last portion to be purposely built as US 66.  That is it wasn't a place holder for something like I-40 or the like but built to be US 66?

[US71]

What was the last portion to be purposely built as US 66.  That is it wasn't a place holder for something like I-40 or the like but built to be US 66?

Hard to say. 66 was designated in 1926, but was upgraded over the years.

[Max Rockatansky]

The AASHTO Database is a good place to start digging. 

[sparker]

What was the last portion to be purposely built as US 66.  That is it wasn't a place holder for something like I-40 or the like but built to be US 66?

It was probably either the "Goffs Cutoff" west of US 95 and Needles, CA; the original alignment followed the Santa Fe (ATSF) rail line, with a realignment south of that dating, IIRC, from the late '30's -- or the AZ realignment between the Colorado River and that, ironically, followed that same rail line but bypassed the original US 66 alignment through Oatman. 

[Max Rockatansky]

What was the last portion to be purposely built as US 66.  That is it wasn't a place holder for something like I-40 or the like but built to be US 66?

It was probably either the "Goffs Cutoff" west of US 95 and Needles, CA; the original alignment followed the Santa Fe (ATSF) rail line, with a realignment south of that dating, IIRC, from the late '30's -- or the AZ realignment between the Colorado River and that, ironically, followed that same rail line but bypassed the original US 66 alignment through Oatman.

The bypass of Oatman through Yucca was in 1952. 

[Mapmikey]

Certainly arguable it was really meant for US 101, the Hollywood Freeway segment that US 66 used was a little later than 1952...

All of Illinois US 66 bypasses look to be in place by 1951...

[US71]

I just remembered: there are a couple old sections of 66 near Devil's Elbow, MO that were neve assimilated.

Also east of Chain of Rocks

[sparker]

Certainly arguable it was really meant for US 101, the Hollywood Freeway segment that US 66 used was a little later than 1952...

All of Illinois US 66 bypasses look to be in place by 1951...

Actually one year later (1953), when the 4-level interchange opened to traffic and both US 66 and US 101 were rerouted off Sunset Blvd. onto the Hollywood Freeway; the connection to the previously-constructed Cahuenga Pass section, along US 101 well north of the Santa Monica Blvd. exit where US 66 departed the freeway, and which contained the Vine/Gower viaduct, opened that year as well.