Route 66 State Park Bridge Endangered

As reported by Bliss:

“I attended a quarterly meeting of the Route 66 Association of Missouri yesterday and learned that the old 66 bridge across the Meramec River at Route 66 State Park in Eureka, MO (formerly the Times Beach 66 bridge) is slated for *swift and complete* demolition. Period.

There was some discussion about what could be done to stall or prevent the bridge’s removal and at this point I don’t have a *specific* contact and can only suggest emails or letters of protest to the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). Contact is: http://modot.org

A representative from the National Park Service was in attendance and, as I recall, said something to the effect that the swift action is due to available money to MoDOT being nearly expired. (Could be wrong about that, however, so don’t hold me to it.) You might be able to get more info from: http://www.cr.nps.gov/rt66 or IM Rt66(at)nps.gov

Perhaps nothing will prevent the permanent bridge removal (no replacement) but this group is powerful and as such our pleas and protests might help to save the bridge, which I’m confident could still be used as a beautiful and historical pedestrian crossing. Nearly anything is possible……..Bliss”

Here is the MoDOT press release about the bridge closing: MoDOT permanently closes Old Route 66 Bridge

Relighting Ceremony at the Sunset Motel

Sunset Motel Neon Sign Relit After Restoration

The evening of Saturday, November 14, 2009 was very special for members of the Route 66 Association of Missouri. Following our meeting in St. Clair, a festive gathering was held on the grounds of the Sunset Motel in nearby Villa Ridge to celebrate the relighting of the outstanding sign, which had been dark for approximately 30 years.

Just under half of the money to restore the sign and reroof the motel, refurbish dormers, cornice, fascia and soffits, and replace the neon on the gables was granted by the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, with the owners picking up the rest of the tab. Kaisa Barthuli, deputy manager, was on hand to present a plaque to the proud owners. Work on the motel building continues and is expected to be completed in a month or two. In recent history, the motel had been rented as apartments, and when it reopens the owners plan to reserve half of the rooms for Route 66 travelers.

Exactly one year ago, members of the Route 66 Association of Missouri had attended the relighting of the Donut Drive-in sign in St. Louis, another day where we were blessed with exceptionally mild weather for celebrating a momentous occasion in the history of Route 66. In both projects, the property owners were assisted with their grant applications by members of the Route 66 Association of Missouri Neon Preservation Committee. We invite you to help us keep this streak going!

Route 66 Association of Missouri Welcomes New Business Members

We welcome the following new business members and thank them for their support:

McGraphics – Cuba

Yacovelli’s Restaurant – Florissant

Please patronize the business members that support what we do. Here is a link to the complete list: Route 66 Association of Missouri Business Members

Corridor Management Plan for the Missouri Historic Route 66 Byway

The Route 66 Association of Missouri was awarded a National Byway grant in 2006, and entered into a contract with Great River Engineering to proceed with a Corridor Management Plan (CMP) on July 29, 2009, and work began under the guidance of The Missouri Department of Transportation. This will be a yearlong effort and will include public meetings in each Route 66 County. Great River Engineering has developed a web site specific to this CMP – http://Route66.greatrivereng.com. PLEASE take time to look at this site and register so you may get updates and news on the progress of the CMP. The public meeting dates will also be published there and it will be important that you attend. For questions or to volunteer your knowledge and help with this Association project, contact: Tommy Pike, 417-865-1318 or Jerany Jackson at (417) 886-7171.

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