Route 66 marks 100th anniversary
- Route 66’s official centennial year is being marked this week as Springfield, Missouri, opens a national kickoff celebration running April 29 through May 3. - The highway was officially designated on November 11, 1926, stretching about 2,400 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica across eight states. - Congress created a centennial commission in 2020 as preservation groups push to protect surviving road segments and landmarks. (route66centennial.org)
Route 66’s centennial is being marked this week with a national kickoff celebration in Springfield, Missouri, ahead of the highway’s 100th birthday year. (route66kickoff.com) The official kickoff runs from April 30 through May 3, 2026, in Springfield, which brands itself the Birthplace of Route 66 because the road’s name was proposed there in 1926. (route66kickoff.com) (history.com) Route 66 itself was officially established on November 11, 1926, as part of the first federal numbered highway system. It linked Chicago to Santa Monica over roughly 2,400 miles. (nps.gov) (forbes.com) The road crossed eight states — Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California — and became a main corridor for migration, freight and postwar car travel. (forbes.com) (nps.gov) That original highway no longer exists as a continuous federal route. Route 66 was decommissioned in 1985 after Interstate highways replaced it as the faster long-distance network. (nps.gov) (history.com) What survives now is a patchwork of preserved road segments, neon signs, motels, diners and downtown strips that still draw travelers. The National Park Service says its Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program has supported preservation work since Congress created it in 1999. (nps.gov 1) (nps.gov 2) The centennial is also a federal project. Congress passed the Route 66 Centennial Commission Act in 2020, creating a 15-member commission to recommend anniversary activities for 2026. (route66centennial.org) That commission’s official 2026 calendar includes caravans, a multimedia Route 66 map project, monument installations, documentaries, exhibitions and a road fest backed by AAA. (route66centennial.org 1) (route66centennial.org 2) The centennial push is aimed as much at preservation as tourism. The commission says it is seeking National Historic Trail status for Route 66 while local groups use the anniversary to restore buildings, signs and stories along the corridor. (route66centennial.org) (nps.gov) A century after Route 66 was numbered, the road is still being sold as an experience rather than a shortcut. The 2026 celebration is built around that surviving version of the Mother Road. (forbes.com) (route66centennial.org)
