Designating Route 66 as a National Historic Trail will have a significant economic impact in the eight states along the iconic route and appropriately recognize the historic roadway ahead of its upcoming centennial celebration in 2026. This designation would help spur critical preservation efforts in the hundreds of communities that call it home, and most importantly, it will help preserve Route 66 as a vital, iconic, and evolving piece of Americana for generations to come.
Contact your House Representative and ask them to support the bill designating the Route 66 National Historic Trail (H.R. 4338) and help ensure House passage this year.
Today, I write to ask you to support legislation (H.R. 4338) that would designate Route 66 as a National Historic Trail and to work with your colleagues to ensure House passage this year. This bipartisan legislation was previously unanimously approved by the House of Representatives in the 115th Congress.
Route 66, the most culturally celebrated and internationally recognized stretch of highway in America, is where generations of open-road seekers experienced the quintessential road trip. As our nation's first all-paved highway connecting the Midwest to California, it served as a "road to opportunity" for Americans escaping the devastation of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. Today, along its more than 2,400 miles are places that tell the full history of our country, including an enduring spirit of entrepreneurship.
With the upcoming centennial celebration in 2026 and an opportunity to generate economic revitalization in Route 66 communities, a broad coalition is seeking a National Historic Trail designation for Route 66. National Historic Trails are nationally significant historical travel routes established by Congress. This designation would not increase regulations or restrictions for Route 66, but rather bring greater public interest and investment to the communities along this iconic highway. Most importantly, a National Historic Trail designation will help preserve Route 66 as a vital, iconic, and evolving piece of Americana for generations to come.
For all these reasons and more, I urge your support for National Historic Trail designation for Route 66 as outlined in bipartisan legislation (H.R. 4338) led by Representatives Darin LaHood (R-IL) and Grace Napolitano (D-CA), and respectfully ask you to work with your House colleagues to secure passage of this bill.
