John and Lenore Weiss are at it again. The two Illinois Route 66 preservationists are restoring the original appearance of the Division Street Bridge in Pontiac, which carried the original Illinois Highway 4 and the first alignment of Route 66 in the state during the 1920s, according to the Pontiac Daily Leader. Their work on … Continue reading Illinois bridge being restored
Category: Highways
Pontiac set to add to Route 66 attractions
A report by the Pontiac (Ill.) Daily Leader about Monday's city council meeting had items of interest for Route 66ers: A mural is planned on the east side of the Diaz Sign Art building at 628 W. Lincoln Ave. that says "Enjoy Pontiac, Illinois on Route 66" with a 1950s-era car and a Route 66 … Continue reading Pontiac set to add to Route 66 attractions
Route 66 sites earn historic designations
A 1926-37 alignment of Route 66 between Bernalillo and Algodones, N.M., has been added to the state's Register of Cultural Properties, reported the Associated Press. It's a five-mile stretch of original road that was supplanted by a new alignment of Route 66 that went from Santa Rosa to Albuquerque. Also, the Flynt Building at 720 … Continue reading Route 66 sites earn historic designations
McKinley Bridge set to reopen this fall
Route 66 travelers going through the St. Louis area received good news over the weekend: The long-closed McKinley Bridge is set to reopen to traffic on Sept. 25, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The bridge, built in 1910 to link St. Louis to Venice, Ill., was closed in 2001 when it became too dangerously … Continue reading McKinley Bridge set to reopen this fall
The good ol’ days weren’t always good
People who know of my fascination with Route 66 occasionally ask me whether I would have preferred to live in an era when the Mother Road was more vibrant, where I could see long-gone motels and businesses open and prospering again. I admit that if a time machine were available, I would visit the 1950s … Continue reading The good ol’ days weren’t always good
Lake Overholser Bridge may become pedestrian-only
First, the good news about the old Lake Overholser Bridge on an old alignment of Route 66, as told by the Daily Oklahoman: Now the bridge, just outside Bethany city limits, is to be restored by Oklahoma City. The restored bridge will lead to a project Hoskison envisioned: a statue of Will Rogers in a … Continue reading Lake Overholser Bridge may become pedestrian-only
Arizona kicks
Mike Di Paola of Bloomberg News drives down Route 66 in Arizona, focusing on the vintage 150-mile stretch of the Mother Road in the western third of the state and the town of Seligman. Check it out.
Lincoln to promote obscure 66 alignment
Geoff Ladd, chief of Logan County (Ill.) tourism, said the agency will be promoting a 1926-30 alignment of Route 66 and a second, more obscure alignment through Lincoln, reports the Lincoln Courier. A second alignment, which was used for only 10 months in 1928, means the Logan County Courthouse and still more local businesses can … Continue reading Lincoln to promote obscure 66 alignment
Dang it, we don’t want to be bypassed again
KOTV in Tulsa uncovered an interesting story about the Route 66 town of Catoosa, Okla., and the state highway department's plan to close an access ramp from an adjacent highway. The state wishes to close a ramp from westbound U.S. 412 onto northbound Oklahoma 66, aka old Route 66. The state says the ramp's design … Continue reading Dang it, we don’t want to be bypassed again
Two Texas sites added to National Register
The National Park Service announced today that two Route 66 sites in Texas were added to the National Register of Historic Places. In the small settlement of Conway in Carson County, an old section of Route 66, listed as Texas Farm Road 2161, was placed on the register. Here's what Mock Turtle Press said about … Continue reading Two Texas sites added to National Register