Elm Street in Lebanon, Missouri, officially was renamed Route 66 on April 1 — and it’s not an April Fool’s Day joke.
The city’s Street Department on that day began installing the new Route 66 signs along that corridor.
“This project honors Lebanon’s history while helping visitors and travelers better follow the historic Route 66 through our community,” a social media post from the city stated.
The Lebanon City Council unanimously approved an ordinance for the street-name change in late March, reported the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society.
Elm Street carried U.S. 66 through Lebanon from 1926 to 1957, when Interstate 44 opened. For years afterward, the street was known as City Route 66.
Howard Fuller, who campaigned for decades to have Elm Street revert to Route 66, said residents along the highway would not have to change their addresses.
A map of Route 66 in Lebanon can be viewed here.
(Image from the City of Lebanon of a worker installing a new “Route 66” street sign on Elm Street)