What’s next for the Bird Creek Bridge?

A public meeting by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation on Tuesday evening left little doubt that the historic but deteriorating Bird Creek Bridge near Catoosa will be soon closed to traffic or dismantled entirely -- the latter of which would greatly alter that scenic "Three Bridges" vista on Route 66. However, after the meeting, an … Continue reading What’s next for the Bird Creek Bridge?

Notes from the road

A public hearing has been scheduled regarding the future of the Bird Creek Bridge on Oklahoma 66 near Catoosa. The westbound Bird Creek Bridge, which dates to 1936, is part of the so-called Twin Bridges part of Route 66 there. The meeting by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation is set for 6 p.m. April 20 … Continue reading Notes from the road

Route 66 viaduct in Galena soon will be rehabbed

Cherokee County, Kan., soon will apply for federal money to stabilize the Front Street Bridge in Galena, which carries old Route 66 over the railroad tracks north of town, according to the Joplin Globe. The National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program awarded the grant in 2008. It includes $30,000 from the National Park … Continue reading Route 66 viaduct in Galena soon will be rehabbed

Devil’s Elbow Bridge gets stabilization grant

This historic but deteriorating Devil's Elbow Bridge that carries an older alignment of Route 66 into Devil's Elbow, Mo., got good news recently. The bridge will receive a grant to help stabilize the structure until more funds can be found to fully repair it. According to the Pulaski County Daily: The historic Devil’s Elbow bridge … Continue reading Devil’s Elbow Bridge gets stabilization grant

Waynesville is hopping

This story in the Pulaski County Daily contains several interesting items that indicate the Route 66 town of Wayneville, Mo., is on the verge of an economic revival, if it isn't already. The city’s sales-tax revenue rose 7 percent last year -- a big contrast to many area towns that are seeing double-digit decreases. And … Continue reading Waynesville is hopping

Notes from the road

If you're traveling the Mother Road this week, you may have to make other plans for the midsection. As this map from the National Weather Service shows, the Route 66 corridor is under a winter storm warning all the way from about Springfield, Mo., to Gallup, N.M. -- much of it freezing rain. Authorities closed … Continue reading Notes from the road

Rally ’round the bridge

Here's a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article today about efforts by the Route 66 Association of Missouri and other preservation groups to prevent the razing of the historic Route 66 Bridge at Route 66 State Park near Eureka. [...] Joe Sonderman of Hazelwood, a local traffic reporter and author of three books on Route 66, said … Continue reading Rally ’round the bridge

The grim state of the Route 66 Bridge

A representative from the Missouri Department of Transportation attended the Route 66 Association of Missouri's meeting this weekend and painted a grim picture of the state of the Route 66 Bridge near Eureka, Mo., adjacent to  Route 66 State Park. The state recently closed the bridge to the public and has proposed demolishing the dilapidated … Continue reading The grim state of the Route 66 Bridge

Notes from the road

The historic Riviera Restaurant on Route 66 in Gardner, Ill., reopened on New Year's Eve. Check out this story in the Batavia Sun about it. However, there is one potential snag that will be worth watching: The new owner is dealing with a request from the Gardner Fire Department to put in an expensive commercial … Continue reading Notes from the road

Not just any meeting

The quarterly meeting of the Route 66 Association of Missouri, set for Jan. 16 after a noon lunch at Matt's Steakhouse in Rolla, isn't going to be just any meeting, according to a report by Three Rivers Publishing. First, a Missouri Department of Transportation official will be discussing the Old Route 66 Bridge at Route … Continue reading Not just any meeting