The
Mother Road. Current maps do not include old Route 66. Route 66 is 2448 miles long. (about 4000 km)
Route 66 was commissioned in 1926, picking up as many as possible bits and pieces of existing road. Route 66 crosses 8 states and 3 time zones.
Route 66 starts in Chicago, and ends in L.A. (Santa Monica).
Some people think driving it in the opposite direction is
historically wrong, but it's mainly a lot harder as all available
documentation goes the "right" way. In 1926 only
800 miles of Route 66 were paved. Only in 1937 Route 66 got paved end-to-end.
You can only drive parts of Route 66 these days... it has been replaced by the interstate highways I-55, I-44, I-40, I-15 and I-10, but still a
surprisingly high amount of old road is waiting to be found by the more adventurous traveler.
Route 66 is also know as "The Mother Road", "The Main Street of America" and "The Will Rogers Highway".
During all of its life, Route 66 continued to evolve, leaving many abandoned stretches of concrete, still waiting to be found by the more curious and patient traveler.
Route 66 was also the title of a TV series playing from 1960 till 1964
Cyrus Stevens Avery from Tulsa Oklahoma can be called the father of Route 66
In 1985 Route 66 was
officially decommissioned, but for daily use it was replaced far earlier by the Interstates.
The National Historic Route 66 Federation is the worldwide, nonprofit
organization dedicated to directing the public's attention to the importance of U. S. Highway Route 66 in America's cultural heritage and acquiring the federal, state and private support necessary to preserve the historic landmarks and revitalize the economies of communities along the entire 2,400-mile stretch of road.
