Today we’ll be talking about the famous Route 66. So, here we are, in Chicago, Illinois. This is where the historic Route 66 starts.
This article comes from issue 1 (1/2022) of Your American English Magazine, where you’re going to find lots of other interesting articles, so feel free to purchase it here.
So, get on your Harley-Davidson or into your car and let’s get moving.
| Route 66 was definitely the most famous American highway, although it was neither the oldest nor the longest. It was established on November 11, 1926 and ran from Chicago, Illinois (East end) to Santa Monica, California (West end), covering a total length of 2,448 miles or 3,940 km. This was the original length because later, over its 60 years of existence as a national highway, some changes were occasionally made. Route 66 was the shortest route between the Midwest and the Pacific Coast. In 1938 it also became the first national highway to be completely paved. The numerical designation of U.S. Route 66 was assigned on April 30, 1926. But this is not the only name it’s known under. In his 1939 novel “The Grapes of Wrath” John Steinbeck nicknamed the highway The Mother Road. Besides, you can come across the names The Main Street of America or Will Rogers Highway. The name The Main Street of America was first used by Cyrus Avery, a Tulsa businessman who is considered the father of Route 66. | to pave – to cover sth (such as a road) with a material (such as stone, tar, or concrete) that forms a hard, level surface for walking, driving, etc. The crew was paving the road. The driveway was paved with concrete. under the name of… – used to say that a particular name is used to indicate sth The table is reserved under my last name. Denali, previously known under the name of Mount McKinley wrath /ˈræθ/ – (formal + old-fashioned): extreme anger the wrath of the gods — sometimes used figuratively Hardly anything survived the hurricane’s wrath. |
| Route 66 traverses eights states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, with the longest mileage in New Mexico (487 miles) and the shortest in Kansas (13 miles). When the Federal Interstate Highway System was introduced, Route 66 was decommissioned. It wasn’t decommissioned all at ones, but rather piece by piece, with the last segment, in Arizona, being removed from the Federal System in 1985. Route 66 was replaced by modern interstate highways running from Chicago to Los Angeles. | mileage /ˈmaɪlɪʤ/ 1) distance in miles What’s the mileage from here to New York? [= how many miles is it from here to New York?] 2) distance traveled in miles by a vehicle His car has a lot of mileage on it. [=it has been driven for a large number of miles since it was new] a car with high/low mileage The car’s rental rate includes unlimited mileage. [= the rate does not increase no matter how far the car is driven] decommission – to officially stop using sth (such as a ship, weapon, dam, road, etc.), to remove sth from service The military base will be decommissioned. This type of weapon was decommissioned after the war. |
Although Route 66 is no longer used as a national highway, you can still drive large portions of it. But take it slow. There’s so much to see on the way. There are so many places to stop at.
OK, finally we arrive in Santa Monica. This is the end of the trail.
