Funds will go towards making the historic highway safer and more bike-friendly with wider shoulders, new turn lanes, and other upgrades that will make for smooth riding from Chicago to LA.
Any traveler will tell you that there’s no feeling quite like being out on the open road, free, with possibilities stretching out ahead as the past falls below the horizon. For a long time, cars have been the dominant mode of transportation for epic interstate road trips in the United States. But the options are getting better for bicyclists hoping to log hundreds, or even thousands, of miles under their own power.
Case in point: The iconic Route 66. In April, the Federal Highway Administration announced USD$1 million in new funding for Route 66, the historic roadway that’s been featured in iconic American media like John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath and the Pixar animated film Cars. The grant will be used to add turning lanes and eight-foot-wide shoulders, making the road safer for cyclists (and drivers too).
Riders starting in Chicago wind southwest through Illinois into Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma before heading more or less directly west through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Stops along the way include the Cahokia Mounds—a UNESCO World Heritage Site near St. Louis—Roy’s Motel and Café in California, and the wide open natural landscapes of America west of the Mississippi River. It also passes through a number of towns you might not have heard of and many cities you probably have, including Tulsa, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Flagstaff. And what can a traveler expect to find halfway along the 2,448-mile route? That’s right, the Midpoint Cafe.
Over the years, Route 66 has changed and there are currently different routes to take. The modern interstate highway has since bypassed or replaced lengths of the original Route 66, which is now labeled in many places as “Historic Route 66.” Additionally, Bicycle Route 66 is a series of bike paths and back roads that link up to state and federal highways. Currently, there are also plans to establish a continuous, official bike route to the Santa Monica waterfront in Los Angeles, California, which was the original terminus of the so-called ‘Mother Road’ built nearly 100 years ago.
In the meantime, the “official” biking route for Route 66 continues to be a bit piecemeal. The first section, through Missouri, was officially designated in 2018. The next link of the chain, from coastal California to the Arizona state line, was announced in 2021, with the Oklahoma section following in 2022. Currently, it overlaps quite a bit with Historic Route 66, which means that new, wider shoulders will give riders some extra breathing room from passing cars for those hundreds of miles.
So, next time you’re looking to hit the road on two wheels instead of four, consider the storied Route 66—the way for bikes is only getting better.
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Miyo McGinn
Miyo McGinn is a writer, fact-checker, and self-described aspiring ski bum based in Washington. Her bylines can be found at Grist, High Country News, and Outside. She covers US and global news stories for Adventure.com.
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