After fits and starts too complicated to recount here, the quest to make Route 66 in Oklahoma a scenic byway is starting to get some traction. (Disclosure: I was involved to a small degree in this effort via the Oklahoma Route 66 Association, but we finally got someone in the state who will do this … Continue reading Taking the scenic route
Category: Highways
Shunpiking
Shunpiking is the practice of avoiding toll roads, or turnpikes, and driving nearby free roads to save a few bucks. Shunpiking is of interest in Oklahomans. The Sooner State is full of toll roads, including a stretch from the Missouri-Kansas line to Oklahoma City that shadows the Mother Road. I learned about shunpiking through Dan … Continue reading Shunpiking
A closer look at “Ultragate”
The Riverfront Times in St. Louis has a more in-depth look at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, which once carried Route 66, and artist James Woodfill's sprucing-up of the bridge, which he has called "Ultragate."
Interstates hit a wall
The 50th anniversary of the U.S. interstate highway systems has been observed for a few months now. However, I've found that most media accounts of the interstate's history, impact and future have been shallow. Until now. Patrick May of the San Jose Mercury-News published a remarkably comprehensive report about the interstates' impact on California. Naturally, … Continue reading Interstates hit a wall
A dark side of Route 66
I've been following this story for a few days. There's an area on Cleghorn Road that includes old Route 66 near Cajon Junction, Calif., that's been known for some time as a hangout for men looking for anonymous gay sex. Of course, when you have a place known for illicit activity, it's going to become … Continue reading A dark side of Route 66
Old Chain of Rocks Bridge nominated to National Register
The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, which once carried Route 66 from Madison, Ill., to north St. Louis, has been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, reports digitalBurg.com of Warrensburg, Mo. The nominations will be considered by the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation on Aug. 11 in St. Joseph. The image above … Continue reading Old Chain of Rocks Bridge nominated to National Register
How two towns survived the bypass
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
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