Proposed US 66A to Las Vegas

[Max Rockatansky]

During February 1956 the State of Nevada in concurrence with the States of California and Arizona submitted a request to the American Association of State Highway Officials to establish US Route 66 Alternate to Las Vegas.  The proposed US Route 66 Alternate would have originated from mainline US Route 66 in Kingman Arizona and followed a multiplex of US Routes 93-466 to Las Vegas, Nevada.  From Las Vegas, Nevada the proposed US Route 66 Alternate would have multiplexed US Routes 91-466 back to mainline US Route 66 in Barstow, California.  The request to establish US Route 66 Alternate was denied during June 1956 due to it being completely multiplexed with other US Routes.  This blog will examine the timeline of the US Route 66 Alternate proposal to Las Vegas, Nevada.

https://www.gribblenation.org/2022/07/paper-highways-proposed-us-route-66.html?m=1

[Henry]

I never knew about this proposal before! As US 66A would've followed existing US routes on its entire path, it's no wonder AASHO rejected it (and this was a valid reason too). Like many others, I was completely surprised to learn that there was more to it than just being a Chicago-Los Angeles highway, but this definitely was a very interesting read. Well done!

[The Ghostbuster]

If there was anywhere along old US 66 where a 66A might have worked, it would have been in New Mexico, when 66 was rerouted off of present-day US 84 between present-day Interstate 40 and present-day Interstate 25. When that happened in 1937, old 66 could have become 66A, and either ended at or followed US 85 south to Albuquerque to reconnect with mainline 66.

[Max Rockatansky]

If there was anywhere along old US 66 where a 66A might have worked, it would have been in New Mexico, when 66 was rerouted off of present-day US 84 between present-day Interstate 40 and present-day Interstate 25. When that happened in 1937, old 66 could have become 66A, and either ended at or followed US 85 south to Albuquerque to reconnect with mainline 66.

There was two US 66As in California, one on the Figueroa Street alignment in Los Angeles and a second following what became CA 206 in San Bernardino.  Most of the other former alignments just became Business Routes as they were bypassed by freeways. 

[Mapmikey]

If there was anywhere along old US 66 where a 66A might have worked, it would have been in New Mexico, when 66 was rerouted off of present-day US 84 between present-day Interstate 40 and present-day Interstate 25. When that happened in 1937, old 66 could have become 66A, and either ended at or followed US 85 south to Albuquerque to reconnect with mainline 66.

New Mexico actually requested this in March 1934 - see page 6 here - https://na4.visualvault.com/app/AASHTO/Default/documentviewer?DhID=0d7db6ef-b7d5-ea11-a98a-ff9beffbfef8&hidemenu=true
https://grmservices.grmims.com/vsearch/portal/public/na4/aashto/default

AASHO's reply was pessimistic about its approval and New Mexico withdrew the request a month later (page 1 of the same link).

[roadfro]

Interesting find. I was not previously aware of this proposal.

One has to wonder what the real rationale for this request was. As noted, this alternate route was basically asking to co-sign US 66 Alt along what had already been established as US 466 for about 20 years at that point. Given that the actual US 66 would be the much better route than a diversion through Las Vegas for any traffic heading east from Barstow or west from Kingman, having the Alternate wouldn't have done much good.

[Max Rockatansky]

Interesting find. I was not previously aware of this proposal.

One has to wonder what the real rationale for this request was. As noted, this alternate route was basically asking to co-sign US 66 Alt along what had already been established as US 466 for about 20 years at that point. Given that the actual US 66 would be the much better route than a diversion through Las Vegas for any traffic heading east from Barstow or west from Kingman, having the Alternate wouldn't have done much good.

The detour FWIW to Las Vegas is surprisingly short, I want to say less than 40 miles.

[skluth]

I can understand the logic for the proposal. The proposed US 66A is the exact route my parents drove in 1968 on our vacation to California after following US 66 from Springfield IL. I'm sure my family wasn't the only car to detour through Las Vegas on the way to California. No disagreement on the AASHTO rejection as it duplicated US 466. Maybe if US 466 hadn't already existed over the entire routing it may have had a better chance of being accepted.

[Max Rockatansky]

I can understand the logic for the proposal. The proposed US 66A is the exact route my parents drove in 1968 on our vacation to California after following US 66 from Springfield IL. I'm sure my family wasn't the only car to detour through Las Vegas on the way to California. No disagreement on the AASHTO rejection as it duplicated US 466. Maybe if US 466 hadn't already existed over the entire routing it may have had a better chance of being accepted.

The irony is that during the early 1930s when US 466 was desired the parent route wasn't really famous nor was Las Vegas much of a destination.  A lot of the early verbiage in the AASHTO database US 66 was about how it was a travesty it was US 60.  Amusing the how perception changed on US 66 in just two decades.

[SSR_317]

I can understand the logic for the proposal. The proposed US 66A is the exact route my parents drove in 1968 on our vacation to California after following US 66 from Springfield IL. I'm sure my family wasn't the only car to detour through Las Vegas on the way to California. No disagreement on the AASHTO rejection as it duplicated US 466. Maybe if US 466 hadn't already existed over the entire routing it may have had a better chance of being accepted.

One year earlier, my parents & I took this "detour" in the reverse direction, on our way home from Ventura, CA to Fort Wayne, IN. My father, who was doing all the driving, decided that Needles, CA would be far too hot in early August for the first overnight on the return trip, so we "diverted" to Las Vegas. Of course, I doubt there was much difference in temperature that evening between the two cities (well over 100 degrees in both during the day), but I at least got to see Las Vegas and the Strip in it's mobbed-up, Rat Pack heyday before the town went corporate and experienced its massive population explosion (LV was actually much less populated than Fort Wayne back then). After staying overnight in a Best Western motel right next to the famous Sands (which believe it or not, was still open there in 2011, but massively deteriorated and no longer a Best Western), the next morning, we got to drive across Hoover Dam just after sunrise (dad wanted to get an early start to beat the heat). As we set out on day 2 of the return trip, we were delayed about 20-30 minutes on the NV side due to work crews doing some blasting to clear potential rock slide areas. Eventually, their crews finished their work, but we still crossed the dam far too early in the day to be able to stop and take a tour. However, I still have vivid memories of the switchbacks on the AZ side of the dam (which years later I would myself drive several times on trips between Phoenix & Vegas). Of course on one of those trips I finally took the "damn dam tour" (prior to 9/11/2001, when they could take you to places that are now off limits) and most recently in 2011, after the bypass bridge was completed and open, both drove and walked across it.

All in all, I'd say that taking the "66 Alt" detour was well worth it, in spite of the high temperatures!