While the Route 66-themed View Stop Park is being built on the west side of Sapulpa, Oklahoma, workers are seeking to find the original Route 66 roadway that went through there.
The park will include a Route 66 centennial marker, a bridge overlook plaza, parking, wildflower gardens, a boulder playground, a “Get Your Kicks” photo-op sign plaza, a license-plate plaza, a directional sign plaza and a neon sign at the park’s entrance. It’s slated to be finished by early 2026.
Fox 23 of nearby Tulsa talked to Lucy Lawson, the city’s director of marketing and communications, about the project.
“We have the original Route 66 right behind us that they are chipping away the asphalt and other materials that was used to lay over it and they are revealing our original Route 66 roadway right here next to the current Route 66.”
Along with the original Route 66, the park aims to highlight Bridge 18, a steel-truss bridge located along the historic road.
“Route 66 is a vital part of our community and so…as we’ve learned about the historical value of Bridge 18, we knew that we needed to do something about it in order to preserve it and give travelers and the community the opportunity to come and experience Bridge 18. It was just a no-brainer. When we learned that the original Route 66 was under the asphalt that was present out here, the first plan that we had was to chip it away and see what we could do to save what Route 66 we have left.”
Bridge 18, also known as the Rock Creek Bridge, was built in 1921 and predates U.S. 66 by several years.
The original Route 66 roadway being excavated was built in 1925 and originally served as a part of the Ozark Trail, a precursor to 66.
(Image of Route 66 roadway on the Rock Creek Bridge near Sapulpa, Oklahoma, by David Sugden via Flickr)