A ceremonial groundbreaking will be held on Dec. 11 for the Hub City Gateway, a Route 66 landmark that will welcome travelers into Clinton, Oklahoma, and mark an original section of the historic highway.
The project will feature a two-sided gateway that spells “Clinton” for travelers in one direction and “Route 66” in the other, along with related sign elements that highlight the city’s Route 66 heritage and nearby businesses and attractions.
The finished installation will be about 405 feet long, 25 feet tall and about 40 feet wide at its deepest point.
The Hub City Gateway is supported through a partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and funded in part by the Route 66 Centennial Program.
An indoor ceremony will be at 1 p.m. at The Social at 700 W. Gary Blvd. (aka Route 66) in Clinton.
Speakers and participants will include Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell; Oklahoma Department of Transportation Executive Director Tim Gatz; Clinton Mayor David Berrong; Andrew Stone, project designer with Ocra-Projects and the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture; Jason Smith, president of West OK Co-Op; and members of the West OK Co-Op board of directors, along with additional community partners, local officials and Route 66 advocates.
After the indoor program at The Social, a small group of key dignitaries and media will travel to the Hub City Gateway site for a brief ceremonial shoveling at the construction site.
For safety and access reasons, however, the site will not be open to the public that day. A separate public ribbon-cutting and on-site celebration are anticipated when the project is finished in 2026.
WestOK Coop is a nonprofit community of artists, art-inspired entrepreneurs and seekers with roots in western Oklahoma who pursue their creative and professional passions. While members have projects across the country, the collective is focused on strengthening the Route 66 community of Clinton and the surrounding areas through creative space, collaborative projects and initiatives that support local economic and cultural vitality.
(Renderings of the Hub City Gateway courtesy of WestOK Coop and designer Andrew Stone of Ocra-Projects)