Those traveling on a prominent Route 66 alignment in St. Louis may have to make a detour in the next few months, or even years. City officials have closed a one block of Tucker Boulevard north of downtown because of fears that a portion of the road might sag because of deterioration of a tunnel, … Continue reading Portion of Route 66 alignment in St. Louis closed
Category: Highways
Death of a cyclist
The Alibi, an alternative newspaper in Albuquerque, tries to piece together the scant facts about an accident on Route 66 in nearby Tijeras that killed an area cyclist, James Quinn, 27. I'd heard about the accident weeks ago, but information was infernally sketchy. Even now, the sheriff still hasn't released an accident report, the vehicle's … Continue reading Death of a cyclist
Dedication ceremony for McKinley Bridge is Nov. 17
An dedication ceremony for the rehabilitated McKinley Bridge is set for 10:30 a.m. Nov. 17 on the Illinois side of the bridge, announced Kyle Anderson, assistant to the chief of operations of the Illinois Department of Transportation, on Tuesday. After that, the bridge will be open to vehicular traffic for about four hours. The bridge … Continue reading Dedication ceremony for McKinley Bridge is Nov. 17
McKinley Bridge reopening delayed
Route 66 News recently received a quick note from Kyle Anderson of the Illinois Department of Transportation, informing us that the scheduled Nov. 10 reopening of the McKinley Bridge that connects Venice, Ill., to St. Louis has been delayed. Anderson said an official reopening hasn't been set, but it will be a week or two … Continue reading McKinley Bridge reopening delayed
Skywalk road update
Roadside America has an interesting update about the horrible, 14-mile Diamond Bar Road that leads to the Grand Canyon Skywalk, which is off Route 66. The developers of Skywalk spent millions of dollars on their horseshoe-shaped walkway, but apparently couldn't spent a million or two more to improve the primitive road leading to it. Complaints … Continue reading Skywalk road update
More reports from Oklahoma 66 meetings
Required public hearings about designating Oklahoma's Route 66 a national scenic byway are working their way across the state, and reports from newspapers are coming with them. The Associated Press has an article. The Sapulpa Daily Herald has one. And the Daily Oklahoman in Oklahoma City attended a hearing in Edmond: "More neon,” Marilyn Emde … Continue reading More reports from Oklahoma 66 meetings
First public meeting held for scenic byways plan
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
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”