 U.S. Route 66 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Rogers Highway | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by MoDOT | ||||
| Existed | November 11, 1926–June 26, 1985[1] | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  US-66 to Galena, Kansas | |||
| East end | US 66 at the Mississippi River to Illinois | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Missouri | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
U.S. Route 66 (US 66, Route 66) is a former east–west United States Numbered Highway, running from Santa Monica, California to Chicago, Illinois. In Missouri, the highway ran from downtown St. Louis at the Mississippi River to the Kansas state line west of Joplin. The highway was originally Route 14 from St. Louis to Joplin and Route 1F from Joplin to Kansas. It underwent two major realignments (in the St. Louis and Joplin areas) and several lesser realignments in the cities of St. Louis, Springfield, and Joplin. Current highways covering several miles of the former highway include Route 100, Route 366, Route 266, Route 96, and Route 66. Interstate 44 (I-44) approximates much of US 66 between St. Louis and Springfield.
Missouri was the first state to erect a historic marker on US 66.[2] It is located at Kearney Street and Glenstone Avenue in northeast Springfield.[3][4] A new marker, designating the highway as a National Scenic Byway, was erected May 5, 2006. The historic alignment in Missouri is marked based on the route in 1935.
- ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (June 26, 1985). "Route Numbering Committee Agenda" (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 5 – via Wikisource.
- ^ Sonderman, Joe. "A Bit of Missouri 66 History". Retrieved November 18, 2014.
- ^ "Some history and things to see when you stay at the historic best western route 66 Rail Haven". Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
- ^ "Route 66 History". Route 66 World. Retrieved November 18, 2014.