End of US highway 66 |
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1926-1936
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1936-1964
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1964-1972
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1972-1976
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1976-1980
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1980-1985
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"Route 66" is the most famous of all the US highways. It was officially decommissioned in 1985, but that had the unexpected effect of increasing public awareness of the old "Mother Road". It has since enjoyed tremendous popularity, and many segments of its historic alignments are signed with "Historic Route 66" markers.
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For about 50 years the east end of US 66 was in Chicago. For the first ten years of its existence, the west end of US 66 was in downtown Los Angeles.
In 1935 the US 66 designation was extended west from L.A. to the Pacific coast at Santa Monica. This photo was looking west down Santa Monica Boulevard (historic route 66), where it ends at Ocean Avenue: |
Elbert, Mar. 2005
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Nearby is a Will Rogers/US 66 historical marker. Perhaps for that reason, that intersection is often cited as the west terminus for historic US 66, but that was never the actual endpoint. Neither was the Santa Monica Pier (another purported endpoint of Route 66).
In Feb. 1936 a tunnel was completed, allowing Olympic Boulevard to pass under Ocean Av and directly connect with the Pacific Coast Highway: |
c. 1961, Gousha
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US 101A was not routed along Ocean at all, so US 66 could not have ended there. Instead, Route 66 traffic was directed southeast on Lincoln Boulevard to Olympic, where the designation ended at US 101A. These photos were taken from that perspective; "End" and "Begin" signage was added to this intersection in 2016:
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Elbert, Mar. 2005
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Maximous, Nov. 2016
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Incidentally: just past Olympic today is the interchange with I-10. Known locally as the Santa Monica Freeway, I-10 runs from here to Jacksonville FL: a distance of over 2400 miles.
This photo was taken looking southwest on Olympic; US 66 began to the right on Lincoln: |
c. 1964, Caltrans
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(Incidentally, "The Penguin" no longer exists, but that building still stands, and as of 2018 its outdoor signage still features a penguin.) That was the west terminus of US 66 for nearly 30 years, but later that same year (1964) CalTrans truncated it to Pasadena:
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c. 1970, Caltrans
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This interactive image is looking east on Colorado Boulevard. For a time, this was the east end of CA 134, while CA 11 began to the right on Arroyo Parkway, and US 66 began straight ahead:
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But ultimately Caltrans didn't want US 66 at all, and within ten years they had removed the designation from their state completely, so its west end was at the Arizona state line near Topock (southeast of Needles):
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Sanderson, July 2004
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By that time, US 66 had been overlapped with I-40, so it ended unceremoniously on the bridge over the Colorado River. The I-40 bypass around Kingman AZ was opened to traffic in 1980. At that time, AZDoT rerouted US 93 onto the interstate, and they also truncated the US 66 designation to I-40's exit 53 (where AZ 66 ends today):
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Teresco, Oct. 2003
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That was the final western terminus of US 66, until the route was decommissioned in its entirety in 1985.
Meanwhile the east end of US 66 was becoming obsolete as well: in 1976 it was truncated to Gardner IL, then to Normal IL in 1978. One year later, the US 66 designation was removed from the rest of Illinois, and most of Missouri as well. East of Joplin, US 66 originally went up through Webb City and Carthage, then followed what is now MO 96 to Springfield. At the time, US 166 followed I-44 out of Joplin (roughly), and then today's MO 174 from Mt. Vernon to Springfield.
Meanwhile the east end of US 66 was becoming obsolete as well: in 1976 it was truncated to Gardner IL, then to Normal IL in 1978. One year later, the US 66 designation was removed from the rest of Illinois, and most of Missouri as well. East of Joplin, US 66 originally went up through Webb City and Carthage, then followed what is now MO 96 to Springfield. At the time, US 166 followed I-44 out of Joplin (roughly), and then today's MO 174 from Mt. Vernon to Springfield.
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But when US 66's replacement route was complete (I-44 to St. Louis and I-55 to Chicago), it was re-routed such that it went straight east from Joplin (along old US 166) and ended at I-44's interchange 15 (where MO hwy. 66 ends today). This photo shows that spot:
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Maness
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That is in Scotland, about eight miles east of downtown Joplin. Business I-44 and MO 66 traffic are directed onto the ramp at right, which leads to eastbound I-44. Ahead was US 166, but now it serves as an off-ramp from westbound I-44. This is where US 66 ended from 1979 to its decommissioning in 1985. If one were to continue ahead about a quarter-mile and then turn around, this photo shows that perspective:
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Maness
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That is looking the opposite direction (west). Westbound I-44 exits and comes in from the lower left, and aligns due west ahead on what becomes 7th Street Joplin in a few miles. At lower right is old US 166, which is now just a frontage road for I-44 (or "outer road", as they are referred to in Missouri). That was the east beginning of US 66 for its final six years.
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July 1985, Joplin
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Research and/or photo credits: Chris Elbert; Scott Maness; Andrew Maximous; Dan Resch; Mike Roberson; Dale Sanderson; Joe Sonderman; Jim Teresco
Page originally created 2000;
last updated Jun. 25, 2019.
last updated Jun. 25, 2019.
