The Joplin (Mo.) Globe reports that the first of 10 public meetings about designating Oklahoma's Route 66 as a national scenic byway was held Monday at the Civic Center in Miami, Okla. Those meetings will help develop a corridor management plan to help market the road. Pam Lewis, with the Oklahoma Byways Program at the … Continue reading First public meeting held for scenic byways plan
Category: Highways
Nuclear blasts for road construction
At least cooler heads prevailed. In Mark Muckenfuss' column in the Inland Press-Enterprise, he said he was doing some research about old Route 66 in Southern California when he uncovered a 1967 newspaper article by Earl E. Buie about Interstate 40 road-construction plans through the Bristol Mountains. Normally, construction crews would have blasted their way … Continue reading Nuclear blasts for road construction
Critters may get a shock trying to cross the Mother Road
The state of New Mexico has installed electric fencing and a sort of cattle guard in the Tijeras Canyon area east of Albuquerque to prevent wild animals from crossing in front of motorists traveling on Interstate 40 and nearby old Route 66, reports the Santa Fe New Mexican. The 7-foot-high fence will deliver a mild … Continue reading Critters may get a shock trying to cross the Mother Road
Book review: “Traveling the Historic Three”
Here's something for roadies: A guidebook for traveling not one, not two, but three historic highways, all in a compact loop. Illinois Route 66 preservationists John and Lenore Weiss recently published the "Traveling the Historic Three" (self-published, 74 pages, $9.95), which is a guidebook to Route 66, the Lincoln Highway and the Dixie Highway in … Continue reading Book review: “Traveling the Historic Three”
Notes from the road
Road correspondent Mark Potter reports that the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, N.M., has been returned to its original 1939 color scheme of blue. For many years, the motel was mostly of a coral color. Folks in Springfield, Mo., who are fighting the proposed relocation of Missouri 266, aka Route 66, in their town have … Continue reading Notes from the road
New turnpike entrance will improve access to Route 66 towns
I didn't know this was going to happen, but new gate to Oklahoma's Turner Turnpike, set to be finished sometime in 2009, should improve access to the Route 66 towns of Luther and Arcadia, reports the Daily Oklahoman. The new gates will be built here (map link), with access to Triple XXX Road, 164th Street … Continue reading New turnpike entrance will improve access to Route 66 towns
A bad idea?
In the Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque, a number of recent accidents have tied up traffic on Interstate 40 for hours. According to KOAT, state Rep. Kathy McCoy wants something done about it: McCoy is working with the New Mexico Department of Transportation and law enforcement officials to get the situation and the traffic cleared … Continue reading A bad idea?
Why did a turtle cross Route 66?
To get to the other side, of course. 😉 In the space of less than a mile on Old Sapulpa Road (aka Route 66) in Oklahoma, we encountered a small flock of wild turkeys and this turtle. The turkeys didn't have a problem. When a couple of motorcyclists approached from the other direction, they simply … Continue reading Why did a turtle cross Route 66?
View from the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge
If you've never walked on what is now a pedestrian and bicycle trail on the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge that connects Madison, Ill., over the Mississippi River to St. Louis, these two videos by the same person should suffice for now. The bridge was a part of Route 66 for decades. The second video … Continue reading View from the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge
Wallis and Colbert
Author Michael Wallis was on the Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" last week to plug his new book, "The Lincoln Highway." Here is the video clip of the interview: Wallis also is well-known for the best-selling "Route 66: The Mother Road" and mentions ol' 66 during the bantering. UPDATE 8/23/07: YouTube removed the video because … Continue reading Wallis and Colbert