Ottawa County, Oklahoma, is considering four options for restoring the nearly century-old Sidewalk Highway, aka Ribbon Road, that once carried Route 66 from Miami to Afton.
KOAM-TV presented the options in a recent report:
- OPTION #1: Widening- adds 16 feet to top width; keeps original concrete and asphalt section; rebuilds existing gravel shoulders into new gravel driving lanes on each side; adds new gravel shoulders to both sides
- OPTION #2: Widen one side- adds 26 feet to top width; keeps original concrete and asphalt section; keeps original gravel shoulders; adds two new gravel driving lanes to one side; adds new gravel shoulders to each side
- OPTION #3: Widen beyond existing- adds 26 feet to top width; keeps original concrete and asphalt section; keeps original gravel shoulders; adds new gravel driving lanes to each side; adds new gravel shoulders to each side
- OPTION #4: New Parallel Road- adds 46 feet to width; keeps original concrete and asphalt section; keeps original gravel shoulders; adds new gravel roadway separated by a drainage ditch
Each option costs about the same — between $3.8 million to $4 million.
Oklahoma Route 66 historian Jim Ross weighed in on a comment thread on Facebook:
I have two favorites. Roamin’ Rich, our resident paving expert, likes the idea of Option #1, but instead of just gravel on the added lanes, pave them, allowing for one inch of gravel on top, which would then be chip sealed. This would be the least intrusive on landowners and keep everything in its place. The cost of paving vs. gravel might be prohibitive, though. I also like Option 4, which completely separates the 9-foot road from the driving surfaces, but would also require the most right of way acquisition. Using loose gravel on any option other than #4 would result in some of it migrating to the old roadway, which would periodically have to be scraped off, and it is the blade that damages the road.
There’s no timetable yet on what option the county will choose.
The 9-foot-wide Sidewalk Highway, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, also was part of an original Ozark Trail that predates Route 66.
(Image of the Sidewalk Highway in 2007 near Miami, Oklahoma, by gsamx via Flickr)
Option #4 would be my choice. It is the BEST in preserving the integrity of that historical & original Route 66 Sidewalk Highway section.
this portion of my Chicago to LA trip on 66 was one of my top 5 experiences. The width illustrates perfectly what 66 was a long time ago. Imagine cars with no a/c, open air, poor suspension traveling out in the middle of no where. Having to share the road with on coming autos. Bumping over the concrete curb with two wheels allowing the other vehicle to do the same. Maybe stopping and talking for a moment. We’ve come a long way and this strip of 66 makes it clear how long and far and how distant we’ve come and become.
I’m not absolutely clear on each of these options, but I think I’m with The Landrunner on this…#4 seems like the best preservation option.
It’s certainly one of the things I want to be sure and see when I’m out there Joe.