The Normal Town Council of Normal, Illinois, several days ago approved the installation of a large Route 66 monument sign.
The monument will be on Pine Street (aka Route 66), adjacent to the south edge of One Normal Plaza, according to the Bloomington Pantagraph.
“It will be a fun Route 66 photo (opportunity) for visitors as well as locals and introduces the many amenities our community offers,” said Crystal Howard, president and CEO of the Bloomington-Normal Convention and Visitors Bureau.
More details about it:
The installation in Normal would include 8-foot-tall letters spelling NORMAL with a 10-foot-tall Route 66 shield at the end, according to council documents. The entire structure would be 43 feet long and would sit on a concrete pad with illumination from ground-mounted lights.
The project comes as communities along Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, are preparing for the 100-year anniversary of “The Mother Road” in 2026.
It’s being funded by a grant from the Illinois Office of Tourism. Similar monument signs will be made in Bloomington, Chenoa, Lexington and McLean by summer.
The sign brings to mind one of the first of its type — the Route 66 monument in El Reno, Oklahoma, that was installed in 2018.
(Image of the forthcoming Route 66 monument in Normal, Illinois, via Normal Town Council documents)