U.S. Route 66 occupies a particular niche in classic Americana. From 1926 to the late 1950s and early 1960s, the highway was the lifeblood of several western states and, for many, came to represent the freedom to travel as America's "Mother Road."
But with the advent of the 1956 Federal Highway Act, paving the way for the creation of interstate bypasses, Route 66 has long teetered on the brink of obscurity. This fact entered into public consciousness with increased urgency in June, when the National Trust for Historic Preservation placed the roadway on its list of 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in the nation.
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