|
|
|
|
|
Once travelers reach the Land Of Enchantment, there can be no doubt that they have entered the glorious Southwest. Many beautiful mountain ranges can be seen across the landscape. In some areas dry, desert conditions typified by sagebrush stand in contrast to stands of cedar, juniper and piñon pines at higher elevations and lush forests of ponderosa pine and aspen at the still higher elevations.
The Land of Enchantment is rich in Native American culture and history, some of which goes back thousands of years. During Route 66's heyday, many a westward bound traveler would stop and buy Native American jewelry, pottery, rugs, kachina dolls or other items at roadside establishments along U.S. Route 66. It can be said that there is something truly "magic" about Route 66 that appeals to all different ethnic groups and people from all walks of life. Its ribbons of asphalt are like a central cultural thread that connects us all.
In New Mexico there are over 260 miles of post 1937, pre-Interstate era Route 66 that remain drivable. In a few places, the old road is still designated as state highway although no longer as U.S. 66. There are also some sections that have reverted to county or tribal maintenance. The issue of posting official U.S. Route markers along such roads would need to be resolved. In some areas the old road might be too fragile to endure an increase in traffic. There is, in fact, even one 20-mile gravel stretch east of Tucumcari. If there are no remaining roadside businesses in these areas it might be more appropriate to run the new U.S. 66 Route designation over a later Route 66 alignment or on the Interstate. However, historic, brown and white commemorative markers would continue to be maintained on the old road.
The pre-1937 Dilia - Santa Fe - Los Lunas routing could be designated as an alternate bannered route (U.S. "Alternate" 66) in recognition of the time that it carried the Route 66 U.S. Highway designation during the Route's early years. This routing also has significant mileage under state DOT management.
The State of New Mexico has done something that no other state has done to date (2004). They have established all of the old sections of Route 66 still open to traffic in their state as a National Scenic Byway. Byway status helps focus attention on the Route in the State and helps further preservation efforts of historic landmarks along the old road.
Adding a U.S. Route designation would never the less spur further improvements in signage, put the "66" icon back on standard atlases and provide historic Route 66 travelers with a consistent, continuous, state-to-state marking plan. This would in turn make Route 66 more "visible" to the casual traveler thus luring new traffic to the old road. A larger traffic base will without doubt provide a significant boost to the economic fortunes of historic and newer roadside businesses giving them a more prosperous future. Many older establishments will be able to stay in business for the function for which they were originally intended.
A somewhat more ambitious, alternative plan would be to simply re-designate Interstate 40 as a new U.S. Highway 66. This would allow the designation of the old roadway as an AASHTO-approved historic-bannered route (U.S. "Historic" 66). The Dilia - Santa Fe - Los Lunas alignments could then receive a double bannered "Alternate"/"Historic" designation. (U.S. "Alternate/Historic" 66).
Interested New Mexico residents should contact their state representatives at:
http://legis.state.nm.us/house.asp
or their state senators at:
http://legis.state.nm.us/newsite/senate.asp
Encourage them to consider or introduce legislation or to pass a general resolution that would help the State Highway & Transportation Department restore the U.S. Route designation to Old Route 66.
The United States Congress also has the authority to designate or re-designate U.S. Highways. E-mail or write your U.S. Representative at:
http://house.gov/writerep/
Let your U.S. representative know that a new official U.S. Route designation is needed for Old Route 66 and that federal assistance is needed to help pay for additional new signs and, where needed, repairing the old roadway and bridges.
|
|
|
|
|
