What route will famed 66 take?

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By Greg Elwell
Published: September 27, 2007

EDMOND — Stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles, Route 66 was a road of dreams for motorists looking for a new start and new adventures across America.
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The state Department of Transportation is asking for residents and business owners to "dream big” on ways to restore the Mother Road to prominence in Oklahoma and gain National Scenic Byway status.

The department, working with the University of Oklahoma and consulting firm Carter-Burgess, is holding a series of meetings along Route 66, asking residents and business owners what their dream version of the road looks like.

"This is about you and what you think about Route 66,” said Richard Andrews, state scenic byways coordinator.

Several Route 66 enthusiasts turned up at the Holiday Inn Express in Edmond on Wednesday night to discuss their hopes for the road's return to greatness.

"More neon,” Marilyn Emde said.

Mel Norton said he'd like to see it rebuilt with a mind toward his fellow bicyclists.

"I've biked down Route 66 before, and I'd like to do it again, but it needs to be in better shape,” he said.

Bikers come from all around the world to travel Route 66 in Oklahoma, but the state of the road is squandering their good will, Norton said.

Some hesitated to give their suggestions, fearing them too extravagant, but Carter-Burgess representative Lynne Marie Whately said this is the time to think of the best.

"There are many pots of money out there,” she said. "This is the ‘dream big' part.”

The most popular request was for more signage and to preserve what could be saved of the old Route 66.

Andrews said preservation was a goal, but that it has to be balanced with safety.

"From an ODOT perspective, safety is the priority,” he said.

Preservation is important, but if that increases the threat of a fatality, it changes everything, he said.

What's next?
Andrews said input from residents and business owners would be gathered and used in drafting a corridor management plan, which is part of the application for National Scenic Byway status. A draft of the plan could be ready by the end of the year and they're aiming to have the application ready to go in early spring.

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This is a great thing. I first got interested when I saw a "Historic Route 66" sign near the state capitol. I had always thought it went from Edmond, Broadway down Kelly, to NE highway, then to 39th where it followed 39th to Bethany. In many states, it was relocated and re-routed numerous times. You have to access US66 websites just to be able to follow it. You really can't follow it in its entirety unless you backtrack over the re-routes. It has been great that the movie Cars has reinvigorated the cause of lost highways. It presented the best argument yet of how things were in the golden age of court style motels. Especially in the age of shoe box motels now being built by all the brands. They are all the same. None have outside pools. They are worried the most about offering wifi. Rest assured the family staying next to you arrived in a GMC Yukon with 6 DVD LCD displays. These people pay good money to drive through the Grand Teton National Forest while the entire time their kids are watching season DVD's of Family Guy. There was even a GMC commercial about a year ago showing this exact thing happening like it was a badge of honor for the vehicle. On my last family trip the nephews were more worried about forgetting their DC adaptor for the game boy that we had to stop in every city looking for one. They had to do for a $90 inverter purchased from Love's truck stop.
John, Stigler - Sep 27, 2007 4:39 PM
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