Route 66 Gets Support for Historic Trail Designation

CARTHAGE, Mo. (AP) — Plans to designate Route 66 as a historic trail is being pushed in Congress by supporters and lawmakers to help preserve the iconic roadway that passes through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and four other states.  The Joplin Globe reports that the U.S. House Natural Resources subcommittee considered legislation on November 15. The bill designates the 2,400-mile (3,862-kilometer) roadway from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, as the Route 66 Historic Trail.  A Missouri woman who owns a motel along Route 66 in Carthage supports the legislation. But she says certain aspects of the bill regarding land acquisitions need to be considered.  Nicknamed the "Mother Road," the Route 66 was commissioned in 1926 as part of the first federal highway system. It holds historical value to the eight states and communities it passes through.