The construction of I-44 between Oklahoma City and Tulsa in the 1950s was the beginning of the end for U.S. Highway 66 in Oklahoma City. The State Highway Department, in collaboration with the City’s transportation officials, undertook transportation plans in the years immediately following the war to understand the region’s transportation network and to identify where improvements were needed. After the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 established the Interstate Highway program for the country, the state’s and city’s planning results were used to establish the Interstate Highway network in and around Oklahoma City. Ultimately, I-35 and I-40 were constructed through Oklahoma City and portions of each interstate, as well as I-44, supplanted Route 66 in the City.

By the 1970s, the interstates were largely complete, and the national U.S. Highway 66 Association, which had promoted improvement of and tourism along U.S. Highway 66 since the highway’s designation in 1926, was disbanded in 1976.

It would take until 1985, however, for all U.S. Highway 66 signs to be removed and for the federal government to remove its designation.

As transportation studies were conducted and construction of the interstate highway system got underway, the potential effects on businesses that would no longer be on a main transportation artery became a topic in the local and national newspapers. While research revealed little information on any opposition to the construction of bypass and interstate highway routes, it did reveal articles that indicated there was little to no effect on businesses located along the former main arteries. In late 1952 and early 1953, The Daily Oklahoman published editorials discussing the results other states experienced as new highways and bypasses were constructed in terms of the effects on businesses. In one article, the author discussed the results of a survey conducted by the California Highway Commission that showed businesses no longer directly on the main transportation routes did not suffer negative impacts. Rather, in some cases, they saw increased activity based on traffic count studies.57 In another article, the author indicated other states, such as Pennsylvania, found that former highway routes acted as feeder routes to the newly established highways and toll roads and were used even more than they had been previously.

As a result, local businesses on the former highway routes were seeing increased business. Research to support or refute these claims for Oklahoma City businesses after the original and early realignments of Route 66 through the City were bypassed was not identified. What is apparent, however, is that new businesses very quickly developed along Oklahoma City’s new highways after they were constructed, based on review of historic maps and aerial photographs.

With the development of the interstate highway system around Oklahoma City, a new pattern of development designed to accommodate travelers emerged. The intersection of I-35 and N.E. 122nd Street, just south of the I-35 and I-44 intersection, exemplifies this trend. The pattern consists of a cluster of restaurants, motels, hotels, and gas stations large enough to accommodate tractor-trailers located in close proximity to each other with convenient access to/from the interstate. Since the early 1970s, the area surrounding the intersection of I-35 and N.E. 122nd Street has seen the establishment of multiple hotels and motels, construction of several chain restaurants popular with travelers, including McDonald’s, Waffle House, Sonic, and Cracker Barrel, two large travel centers designed to accommodate tractor-trailers and automobiles alike, and smaller gas stations. In more recent years, a commuter parking lot and an Oklahoma Welcome Center have been added to the area.

The 2020 windshield survey revealed that many of the extant resources located along Route 66 alignments through the City have been converted to new uses. Commercial nodes along the alignments have been redeveloped with businesses to accommodate local residents, rather than catering to travelers through the city. While some service stations along Route 66 alignments in the city remain in use as auto repair centers, none were identified as remaining in use as gas stations. This is likely due to changes in federal regulations pertaining to gas storage tanks in the 1990s making upgrades for small gas stations cost prohibitive and the strong competition from large, chain gas stations that are now commonplace. Thus, many of the gas stations have been reinvented into retail businesses, restaurants, and other uses.

Today, extant examples of two categories of resources once associated with Route 66 are largely unrepresented. Those categories are first generations of lodging (tourist courts and early motels) and mid-twentieth century restaurants designed to attract travelers (e.g. Googie style) or accommodate autos (drive-ins). More in-depth research and/or a historic resources survey may reveal additional examples, but the 2020 windshield survey only revealed a few examples each of first- and second-generation lodging (tourist courts and early motels, respectively) and mid-twentieth century restaurants.

*This content is excerpted word for word from the Route 66 in Oklahoma City Historic Context Project Report (2020), prepared by Blanton and Associates for the City of Oklahoma City. The complete report is available online here: https://www.okhistory.org/shpo/docs/okcrt66.pdf. This report has been financed in part with federal funds from the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service (NPS). The contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the reviews or policies of NPS, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation by NPS.