Route 66 became known as the Mother Road, when it began its famous stretch of highway.Many historical changes have occurred since the routing of Route 66 began it's famous stretch of highway.
To begin with, the shift of Route 66 began in 1930, when Illinois Route 4 was basically replaced by following I-55. Market Street and Manchester Road in Downtown, St. Louis once had the original Route 66 running through to Gray Summit, Missouri. This route, however, was changed using Watson Road in St. Louis, as part of Route 66.
Calumet and Geary, Oklahoma once connected by Route 66 to Bridgeport, Oklahoma, was changed later to south of Bridgeport and west of El Reno, bypassing both of the previous cities.Entering New Mexico, north of Los Lunas, Route 66 originally followed through Santa Fe and Albuquerque, then turning northwest near Laguna. This routing changed in 1937, when a more direct route from Moriarity to Albuquerque, then west to Laguna was developed, eliminating excess hours of travel time.
California began historic changes to Route 66 in 1936, when Route 66 added an extension from Los Angeles to Santa Monica ending at US 101 ALT. The city of Los Angeles encountered even further historic changes along Route 66 when the Pasadena Freeway was added in 1940, as part of Route 66.
Route 66 also experienced historic changes in its routing when many cities, such as Springfield, Illinois, Saint Louis, Missouri, to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma rerouted this famous road, to bypass the congestion and traffic of these larger cities. Following World War II to the mid 1950’s both Illinois and Missouri were changing there highway systems as traffic continued to increase. This paved the way for construction of more four lane highways, including parts of Route 66.
The turnpikes in Oklahoma, the Turner Turnpike, and in Missouri, the Will Rogers Turnpike, bypassed several of the cities along Route 66. This, eventually, changed into interstate highways connecting the turnpikes, dramatically changing the historic routing of the original Route 66. Route 66 experienced historic changes of Route 66 in the late 1960’s, as well, when I-40 stretching across New Mexico, replaced many sections of Route 66. Missouri even requested for an “Interstate 66”, to be designated as such, from Saint Louis to Oklahoma City but to no avail. Many businesses, located on Route 66, were worried at the threatening change and the possibility of dwindling customers, due to the new changes of the route.
After the decommissioning of Route 66, many interstates now carry the many Route 66 travelers across the Midwest to California. Many markers simply stating, “66” can be seen on road surfaces and signs throughout the states of Missouri, Illinois, Arizona, California, Kansas, and Oklahoma, where sections of the original Route 66 still are marked as, historic Route 66. Arizona went even further to memorialize Route 66, by designating a section of road into the National Register of Historic Places.
Route 66 has been through several historic changes, but the original road still remains a popular memory for many travelers.