Very picayune root on nostalgia for the golden long time of route trips the way of life Route 66 does . The roadway that run from Chicago to Los Angeles , which first opened in 1926 , was clearly designed with gismo and efficiency in thinker , as it connected modest towns with major thoroughfare throughout its 2448 - mile stretch . By the fifties , America ’s " Mother Road"—with its roadside tourist bunker , wizardly drive - ins , and kitschy hotel — had become a major tourist attraction in and of itself .
Route 66inspiredJohn Steinbeck’sThe Grapes of Wrath , was the foundation for a populartelevision series , and supported countless small business owners who service vacationers as they passed through . So how did the beloved Main Street of America fall into a state of disrepair and disuse less than 30 years after the height of its popularity ?
Three words : the Eisenhower Interstate .
DuringWWII , General Eisenhower saw how efficient the German Autobahn was . In 1956 , President Eisenhower enact the Federal Interstate Act , which scream for the construction offour - lane highwaysto make foil the U.S. more effective , eliminate traffic congestion , and make it well-fixed to void big metropolis in the upshot of a nuclear attack .
Unfortunately for Route 66 and the people who depend on it , the Federal Interstate Act intend that portion of the Mother Road had to be upgraded , replaced , or bypass all . By the seventies , the original route had been almost entirelychopped up ; on June 27 , 1985 , the all - American roadway wasdecommissioned .
Much of the actual Route still remains—85 percent , in fact . The famousWigwam Moteland other attractions still stand , helped in part by the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program , which waslaunchedin 1999 . You may see more of the route being revitalized in the coming years , too . In 2015 , several conservation organization combined to make theU.S. 66 Highway Association , an system dedicated to keep up the roadway and all of its architecture , historic web site , and attraction .
Perhaps by its 2026 centennial , the Mother Road will once again swear out millions of Americans guide west for adventure .
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