The Duluth (Minn.) News-Tribune has an interesting story about how two Wisconsin towns survived when U.S. 53 bypassed them. The story starts by comparing them to the fictional Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. In "Cars," the latest big-screen creation from Pixar and Walt Disney, a new highway bypasses a dusty desert town called Radiator … Continue reading How two towns survived the bypass
Category: Highways
City of Lincoln may condemn The Mill
The city of Lincoln, Ill., has filed a public-nuisance complaint against the owner of The Mill, a long-closed restaurant on Route 66 that resembles a windmill, reports the Lincoln Courier. The Mill originally opened at the Blue Mill in 1929, which had an lighted, revolving windmill. The restaurant closed in 1996, and the building has … Continue reading City of Lincoln may condemn The Mill
Railroad helped Route 66 become America’s highway
Here's a fascinating article from the Charleston (W.Va.) Daily Mail about the 200th anniversary of the National Road, aka U.S. 40. And it brings up an angle I haven't heard before: that the National Road withered not because of the interstate, but because of a railroad -- decades before the interstate highway system was a … Continue reading Railroad helped Route 66 become America’s highway
Using the interstate to slow down
On the 50th anniversary of the interstate highway system, Kevin A. Wilson of Automotive News comes up with a novel argument for the interstates' existence that benefits Route 66, too. I've used this argument myself. I'll let him explain: Many such changes, however, are matters of choice, and how we use the highway system is … Continue reading Using the interstate to slow down
Should CBS News have paid Route 66 tour guides?
Public Eye, which is sort of an ombudsman of CBS News, received a question from a New York Times reporter about the CBS "Evening News" story about Route 66 and the impact of the interstate highway system. CBS correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi paid John and Lenore Weiss, two Illinois Route 66 preservationists who also conduct tours … Continue reading Should CBS News have paid Route 66 tour guides?
Ruminations on roads
Hank Stuever of the Washington Post has some interesting ruminations about the 50th anniversary of the interstate highway system. It seems he's trying to praise it and, at the same time, deflate Route 66 a little. But he's mostly unsuccessful at both. Go read it. It's food for thought, at least.
McKinley Bridge in St. Louis will reopen next year
The historic McKinley Bridge, which connected St. Louis with Venice, Ill., for decades until its deteriorating condition forced its closure in 2001, is slated to reopen in September 2007, according to an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Built in 1910 for railroad use and later was opened for automobile traffic, the McKinley was an … Continue reading McKinley Bridge in St. Louis will reopen next year
“Cars” may spark second thoughts about highway bypasses
Earl Watt, the publisher of the Southwest Daily Times in Liberal, Kan., thinks the movie "Cars" provides "a great lesson for young and old alike." U.S. 54 runs through Liberal, and improvements to the road are being built south of town, so there's not immediate danger. However, the possibility that a future bypass could make … Continue reading “Cars” may spark second thoughts about highway bypasses
Route 66 shields being painted on New Mexico roads
The Route 66 Chamber of Commerce, based in New Mexico, has begun painting Route 66 shields on the roadway, including more obscure alignments like the one that runs south of Albuquerque to Los Lunas, according to the Valencia County News-Bulletin. The road stencils can be seen here. The main reason the group is painting the … Continue reading Route 66 shields being painted on New Mexico roads
Funks Grove rest stop named best in Illinois
Normally, a interstate rest stop wouldn't get much attention on this site. But the Funks Grove rest stop on Interstate 55, near Funks Grove, Ill., is an exception. The Illinois Department of Transportation named it the best of the 30 in the state, according to the Bloomington Pantagraph. Here's why it's getting attention on this … Continue reading Funks Grove rest stop named best in Illinois