FOUND: The Original "Radiator Springs" on Route 66

[frank gifford]

A long-ignored event in Oklahoma has now been confirmed as a Route 66 first.

In late 1928, Depew OK became the first town or city anywhere on the Mother Road to be entirely bypassed.  This makes Depew the original "Radiator Springs." 

State Transportation Departments in IL, KS, OK, TX, AZ and CA confirm the "first" in writing.  In MO and NM official State Highway Maps show identical Route 66 alignments in 1926 and 1929/30 with no towns or cities completely bypassed.  (Documentation on file.)

The 1928 bypass date for Depew is noted in passing as an isolated fact in several books, booklets and on websites.  But the potential significance has not been previously explored.

Depew is about half-way between Oklahoma City and Tulsa.  The town installed its own concrete paving downtown.  When the numbered U.S. highway system was officially adopted November 11, 1926 this became part of US 66--for about two years.

The town's paving was a giant horseshoe.  The state bypassing happened so early because it was so easy.  A straight line of pavement north of town cut the mileage by more than half.  More importantly, it also eliminated four 90-degree turns on narrow concrete, two at-grade railroad crossings, plus up-and-down slopes of downtown's small hill.

A preliminary story is on the AARoads Forum as "They can move the highway?"  A more detailed posting, linking to background documentation, is available through the Yahoo Route 66 E-Group (posting 80548).  And an image gallery of Depew is available through my website at www.rt66pix.com/p528481156

[Dr Frankenstein]

Are its only inhabitants a redneck tow truck driver, a grumpy doctor, a young lawyer from California, a diner server and her latino husband, a pair of italian tire sellers obviously living in the closet, the county sheriff, an old senile lady managing the souvenir stand, a stoner hippy, a vietnam vet, an almost mute (and probably bipolar) firefighter, an enraged farmer and a NASCAR driver nobody knows why he decided to move there?

[agentsteel53]

that makes me wonder - what other roads were built as "easily bypassable"?  it's clear how the bypass was to be built at Depew, for example.

St. Francis, KS is similar - the current US-36 skirts the town along the south side, while the old road deliberately swung north to head into town.

It seems to me that these roads were built with "put in bypass soon" in mind, as opposed to roads that go directly through a town and result in an arced bypass route that is built later.

any other examples?

on a similar vein, any examples of bridges which are directly in line with a bypass route, while the old alignment goes a bit of a way down the river? I have seen this before, and it wasn't a case of the entire road being shifted, as much as the original route having a C-curve in it, and the bypass being dead straight.  alas, the only example I can think of offhand is one in Argentina, but I know I've seen it in the US as well.

[NE2]

Anyway, if there were any bypasses built before 1926 on the state highways that became US 66, it would be silly to ignore them. Changing the signs didn't magically create new motorists who would not have driven the same roads.

[kphoger]

Anyway, if there were any bypasses built before 1926 on the state highways that became US 66, it would be silly to ignore them. Changing the signs didn't magically create new motorists who would not have driven the same roads.

Unless the shields are blue with red at the top.  Everyone knows those create traffic.

[Scott5114]

Eh, I dunno about that. Especially in the early days, the U.S. route shield denoted a standard of quality that state route shields did not. People might well have attempted trips that were considered unthinkable before the U.S. route system existed because the roads were just not good enough.

[Michael]

Anyway, if there were any bypasses built before 1926 on the state highways that became US 66, it would be silly to ignore them. Changing the signs didn't magically create new motorists who would not have driven the same roads.

Unless the shields are blue with red at the top.  Everyone knows those create traffic.

Bud Shuster?

on a similar vein, any examples of bridges which are directly in line with a bypass route, while the old alignment goes a bit of a way down the river? I have seen this before, and it wasn't a case of the entire road being shifted, as much as the original route having a C-curve in it, and the bypass being dead straight.  alas, the only example I can think of offhand is one in Argentina, but I know I've seen it in the US as well.

The first one I thought of is I-81 in Syracuse near Carousel...er...Destiny USA.  The ramps on the left side are basically a frontage road for I-81, and according to old topographic maps, that was the original routing of I-81.  According to NYSDOT's bridge data, the bridge on the left was built in 1959 (and rebuilt in 1987 according to Uglybridges.com), so it's probably the original bridge from when I-81 was built.  The current I-81 bridge was built in 1987.

North of Port Byron, there's two bridges that have been realigned.  The first realignment was on NY 38.  The original bridge (I can't find the year it was built, but it's in this 1918 picture) arced to the west from the parking area/boat launch at the bottom (the access road was the original alignment of NY 38).  The arc connected to the eastern tip of Haiti Island at the brown spot visible on the aerial image.  When the current NY 38 bridge was built in 1964 (the page with the 1918 picture lists the wrong year), the northernmost span of the old bridge was kept for access to Haiti Island.  In 1990, the Haiti Island bridge was damaged by a snowplow.  A temporary Bailey bridge was built inside the truss, and in 2007, a portion of the truss collapsed and damaged the Bailey bridge (click here for a picture of the damage).  A new bridge was built in 2010, which is the one visible in the aerial image.

As I was typing my reply I forgot what I was replying to, and I thought of some that didn't straighten out curves in the road.  Since I typed so much and didn't want to waste it, I figured I'd create a new topic, so here's a link.

[kphoger]

St. Francis, KS is similar - the current US-36 skirts the town along the south side, while the old road deliberately swung north to head into town.

That's my old neck of the woods, so enlighten me here.  What was the "old road" through town?  To my ignorant eyes looking at Google Maps, I'm surprised it wasn't the one that followed the railroad (now called County Road O), coming over from Wheeler.

[WichitaRoads]

St. Francis, KS is similar - the current US-36 skirts the town along the south side, while the old road deliberately swung north to head into town.

That's my old neck of the woods, so enlighten me here.  What was the "old road" through town?  To my ignorant eyes looking at Google Maps, I'm surprised it wasn't the one that followed the railroad (now called County Road O), coming over from Wheeler.

That's what I was thinking....

ICTRds

[Milepost61]

that makes me wonder - what other roads were built as "easily bypassable"?  it's clear how the bypass was to be built at Depew, for example.

St. Francis, KS is similar - the current US-36 skirts the town along the south side, while the old road deliberately swung north to head into town.

It seems to me that these roads were built with "put in bypass soon" in mind, as opposed to roads that go directly through a town and result in an arced bypass route that is built later.

any other examples?

Sounds like WI 129 / US 61 in Lancaster, WI. US 61 veers west into town while WI 129 is the straight-shot bypass to the east. Don't know the order of construction, though.

[KEK Inc.]

Are its only inhabitants a redneck tow truck driver, a grumpy doctor, a young lawyer from California, a diner server and her latino husband, a pair of italian tire sellers obviously living in the closet, the county sheriff, an old senile lady managing the souvenir stand, a stoner hippy, a vietnam vet, an almost mute (and probably bipolar) firefighter, an enraged farmer and a NASCAR driver nobody knows why he decided to move there?

Pixar foresaw this.  They parodied Oklahoma's terrible sign standards



...and road quality.

[Roadsguy]

Is that a US 66 Branch Business shield?

[mgk920]

that makes me wonder - what other roads were built as "easily bypassable"?  it's clear how the bypass was to be built at Depew, for example.

St. Francis, KS is similar - the current US-36 skirts the town along the south side, while the old road deliberately swung north to head into town.

It seems to me that these roads were built with "put in bypass soon" in mind, as opposed to roads that go directly through a town and result in an arced bypass route that is built later.

any other examples?

Sounds like WI 129 / US 61 in Lancaster, WI. US 61 veers west into town while WI 129 is the straight-shot bypass to the east. Don't know the order of construction, though.

I'm thinking that US 61 through town is the original routing, but that WisDOT (or one of their predecessor agencies) upgraded a local road that more and more through travelers were using to bypass that city.  I do find it interesting in that WI 129 looks like it has aspirations of being much more than it is now, especially at its south end.

http://goo.gl/maps/fw0na

Mike

[kphoger]

St. Francis, KS is similar - the current US-36 skirts the town along the south side, while the old road deliberately swung north to head into town.

That's my old neck of the woods, so enlighten me here.  What was the "old road" through town?  To my ignorant eyes looking at Google Maps, I'm surprised it wasn't the one that followed the railroad (now called County Road O), coming over from Wheeler.

That's what I was thinking....

ICTRds

If that's the case, then the map doesn't look to be screaming out for a bypass nearly as much as I was expecting it to.

[myosh_tino]

That sign truss is definitely looks like Caltrans-standard as well as the gore point sign in the background.  While the arrow placement leaves something to be desired, the inset border on the BGS is something Caltrans did for a short period of time about 10 years ago...

[agentsteel53]

I thought the inset border dated to the mid-90s at the earliest.  in any case, plenty of button copy signs with it around.

[KEK Inc.]

That sign truss is definitely looks like Caltrans-standard as well as the gore point sign in the background.  While the arrow placement leaves something to be desired, the inset border on the BGS is something Caltrans did for a short period of time about 10 years ago...

Arizona also uses the same truss design, and Radiator Springs is probably supposed to be in either Arizona or California.  Pixar Stuidios is in Emeryville, CA (near Berkeley/Oakland) so that's not too surprising. 

[Brandon]

Arizona also uses the same truss design, and Radiator Springs is probably supposed to be in either Arizona or California.  Pixar Stuidios is in Emeryville, CA (near Berkeley/Oakland) so that's not too surprising. 

Arizona.  Radiator Springs is shown on a map in the movie at the same location as Peach Springs, AZ.