Albuquerque Mayor Richard Perry this week pitched a $100 million plan to spur economic development along the city's Route 66 corridor -- two lanes of dedicated bus lines to mimic a light-rail system. The bus system would cover a 10-mile stretch of Central Avenue between Louisiana and Coors streets, according to the Albuquerque Journal. City … Continue reading Albuquerque mayor wants rapid-transit buses on Central
Galena needs volunteers to help plant trees on Route 66
A few weeks ago, we told you about a Dutch arborist who was helping the Route 66 town of Galena, Kansas, plant trees, using the Groasis Waterbox method, in the city's rugged soils degraded by decades of lead mining. Beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday, the Kansas Historic Route 66 Association is asking for volunteers to help … Continue reading Galena needs volunteers to help plant trees on Route 66
Company offers to fix Albuquerque signs for free
A company has offered the City of Albuquerque a way to repair its malfunctioning neon archway lights on Central Avenue, aka Route 66, at no cost, according to a report by KOAT-TV. Other media outlets in Albuquerque reported last week the city was looking at replacing its troublesome or burned-out neon with LED lighting, which is … Continue reading Company offers to fix Albuquerque signs for free
Grants / Milan airport building added to National Register
A 1953 flight service station building at the Grants / Milan Municipal Airport in New Mexico this month was added to the National Register of Historic Places after three years of restoration. The building, part of the Western New Mexico Aviation Heritage Museum, is designed to honor aviation pioneers of the late 1920s and '30s … Continue reading Grants / Milan airport building added to National Register
Amarillo’s Blue Front Cafe goes up for sale
The Blue Front Cafe, a breakfast-and-lunch fixture along Amarillo's Sixth Avenue (aka Route 66) for at least 60 years, is being put on the market for $225,000. The restaurant at 801 Southwest Sixth Ave. is listed by the Gaut-Whittenberg-Emerson real-estate firm of Amarillo. According to the listing, the restaurant's roof and gas line were replaced two … Continue reading Amarillo’s Blue Front Cafe goes up for sale
Senator urges executive order to create Mojave Trails National Monument
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California has asked President Obama to bypass Congress and create the Mojave Trails National Monument in Southern California that would encompass Route 66 from the edge of Needles to Ludlow. Feinstein sent a letter Aug. 3 to the president urging him to take action after two such bills have languished in … Continue reading Senator urges executive order to create Mojave Trails National Monument
Pontiac shield featured on cover of National Geographic Route 66 calendar
The giant Route 66 shield mural featured on the back of the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac, Illinois, is the cover image of the 2016 Route 66 wall calendar published by National Geographic. The cover image is seen above. The inside of the calendar features images from the Blue Swallow … Continue reading Pontiac shield featured on cover of National Geographic Route 66 calendar
Random stabbings in Bloomington include German tourist
Two people were stabbed Wednesday in downtown Bloomington, Illinois, in what police described as a random attack. One of the victims was a German tourist who was visiting the city's Route 66 visitors center amid a Route 66 trip. According to the Bloomington Pantagraph, the tourist and a Pantagraph employee who happened to be working … Continue reading Random stabbings in Bloomington include German tourist
A look at off-limits Route 66 in McCook
A few weeks ago, Roamin' Rich Dinkela -- with the help of a drone helicopter -- created this video about the closed section of Route 66 near McCook, Illinois. The approximate one-mile section of Joliet Road, aka Route 66, was closed about 2001 when the road became dangerously unstable because of alleged undermining by Vulcan … Continue reading A look at off-limits Route 66 in McCook
Albuquerque plans to upgrade city neon signs to LED
Deep in a KRQE-TV story about the City of Albuquerque's Route 66-themed signs -- including the archways over Central Avenue -- is this item -- the city eventually will upgrade them to LED. Apparently neon owned by the city has been experiencing trouble staying lighted for extended periods -- to the chagrin of residents and … Continue reading Albuquerque plans to upgrade city neon signs to LED