What the record actually says
Route 66 attracts slogans. Here is how far the official sources go — and where they stop.
Was it the first paved highway in America?
No source used on this site says that. The Federal Highway Administration does say that, due to the efforts of the U.S. Highway 66 Association, Route 66 became the first highway to be completely paved in 1938. [source] That is a claim about this numbered route being fully paved by that year, not a claim that no other road in America had pavement before 66.
Chicago to Santa Monica, or Chicago to Los Angeles?
Both appear in official writing. The National Park Service describes a 2,400-mile ribbon from Chicago to Santa Monica. [source] The Bureau of Land Management says the route began in Chicago and ended in Santa Monica, and also that the Chicago-to-Los Angeles route was designated on 11 November 1926. [source] The Federal Highway Administration fact sheet still describes the highway as stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles, matching the 1920s publicity: “from Chicago through St. Louis to Los Angeles.” [source] Santa Monica is the Pacific end commonly given today; Los Angeles is the destination the promoters named at the start.
Is 2,448 miles the one true length?
The Bureau of Land Management gives 2,448 miles across eight states. [source] The National Park Service uses the rounded figure of 2,400 miles. [source] [source] Realignments changed the mileage over time, so it is honest to report both official figures rather than pick a single exact number and pretend it never moved.
Did the official highway survive the interstates?
As a U.S. numbered highway, no. The 1984 bypassing of the last section by I-40 led to official decommissioning in 1985, recorded as 27 June 1985 by the Illinois Digital Heritage Hub. [source] [source] Historic Route 66 alignments, signs and motels are a later preservation story, including the 1999 preservation bill. [source]
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