Here’s a little video I spliced together of the 9-foot-wide “Sidewalk Highway” of Route 66 near Afton, Okla. There’s a similar such segment near Miami, Okla.
The narrow highway was built in 1922, a few years before it was designated as U.S. 66. Reputedly, there was not enough money to build a full-sized highway, so local officials opted for a narrow one.
All these years later, the white curbs and much of the original road surface are still there, albeit pockmarked.
In case you’re wondering, the music is “Slim Jenkins’ Place,” by Booker T. & the MG’s.
Very nice. Back in 1969 and ’70 I lived on Route 66 south of Clinton, Oklahoma. That part of the country has a special beauty and 66 is just a treasure.
Pat Lynch
That is swell, Ron! I got to take a mini-vacation back on the Mother Road, thanks to your video.
Last summer I rode over that on my H-D Sportster. It was so rough I could only go about 30mph.
But it was still fun.
Since Afton Station is only a mile from one end of the Sidewalk Highway, obviously I drive on it frequently. I don’t think I’ve ever confronted an oncoming vehicle, so I loved that a truck happened to approach and you had to move to the side, thus creating a fortuitous example of what it was really like back in the early days.
Laurel
That was great! It gave a real feel for for driving/riding that section.
Though I’ve traveled the length of 66 several times I’ve never traveled that older route. Maybe this spring.