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
Category: Highways
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
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