Historic Route 66
100 Years of Ionic Route 66
Learn more about this historic highway and its 100-year celebration from the Route 66 Centennial Commission.
The Mother Road on Google Earth
While Route 66 is well known for its tourism and roadside attractions, the essence of the highway is its roadbed, bridges, and other integral features, which are detailed in the digital map. Using Google Earth, this map provides the location and survey information on segments of roadbed and bridges along the various alignments of Route 66. Clicking on the icons within the map provides survey data associated with each resource, such as a date of construction, description, and photographs.
Route 66: Survey of Roadbed and Integral Structures
The development of Route 66 as a major transportation corridor facilitated migration, culture, and tourism in twentieth-century America. Designated as U.S. Highway 66, the road stretched from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, and was one of several national highways established in 1926. Route 66, commonly known as “America’s Main Street,” ran approximately 400 miles through Oklahoma and served as the state’s first major east-west highway. It carried the traveling public across Oklahoma until the Interstate Highway System bypassed the corridor in the mid-twentieth century.
ODOT has long been committed to the preservation, interpretation, and management of Route 66. In 2002, the department helped prepare the Oklahoma Route 66 Roadbed Documentation Project (1926-1970): A Survey of Roadbed and Integral Structures report in partnership with other Route 66 stakeholders.
Other Historical Resources
ODOT, the Oklahoma Historical Society, and the Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) have completed additional projects on the history of Route 66. You can learn more at the following links:
Evolution of Route 66 in Oklahoma
ODOT’s Memorial Highways & Bridges page provides historical background on Route 66 through Oklahoma, a detailed construction history of the road, and maps and pictures of the corridor:
Bridge Rail Study
ODOT has completed a study of the Route 66 bridges in Oklahoma that still retain their original bridge rails in an effort to identify modern crash-tested rails that are historically compatible with the original railings. The recommendations for appropriate replacement railings are meant to identify replacement options that are acceptable in terms of safety requirements and visual compatibility.
Oklahoma Historical Society
The Oklahoma Historical Society has collected a list of Route 66 repositories with resources on the historic highway and SHPO has commissioned several historic surveys of Route 66 through Oklahoma. All of this can be found on the Oklahoma Historical Society website.
Ribbon Road
The purpose of this Historic Structure Report (HSR) is to document the history and current condition of the National Register‐listed Route 66 Ribbon Road (also known colloquially as the Nine‐Foot Highway and the Sidewalk Highway) in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, and develop treatment and management alternatives that will inform rehabilitation plans.
