City leaders consider marking Route 66

A community leader in Webb City is looking into painting Route 66 markings on the road along the path of the old road through Jasper County.

Webb City Economic Development Director Chuck Surface is seeking permission from MoDOT and federal highway officials to paint the U.S. highway shield with the number 66 on it on the pavement of the roads that formed the highway from the 1920s to the 1980s.

The markings would be similar to those painted on the road in Galena, Kan. and Miami, Okla.

"It would cost nickels and dimes," Surface said. "When you do the stencil, that's a very small amount, then you're into the cost of the paint. If we could have the same person who made the stencil in Miami make another one and replace Oklahoma with Missouri, we're rolling."

Surface said he's also asked MoDOT to speed the process of putting signs on Route 66 marking it as a scenic byway.

MoDOT spokeswoman Lori Marble said the department is working with the Missouri Route 66 Association to determine exactly where dozens of signs should be put marking Route 66 across the state.

Tommy Pike, president of the Route 66 Association of Missouri, told members of the group at a meeting on Carthage last month that he and his wife were still working on confirming the spots where signs are needed in the St. Louis area, but that a family illness and high gas prices had slowed his work.

Marble said MoDOT has suggested to the Association that it wrap up its work by mid-August, but that was just a suggestion, not a deadline of any kind.

Surface said he's concerned about the status of the federal grant funding the project and has MoDOT to consider changes in the way the project is being administered.
"We have made our thoughts clear to MoDOT that the three cities are dissatisfied with the coordination of the project in Springfield," Surface said. "They've asked us to give them time for discussions with the Route 66 Association, so we'll give it a couple of weeks and look at it again."

Marble said officials coordinating the program for MoDOT have told her there is no danger of Missouri losing the federal grant.

The need for direction

Carthage Chamber President John Bode said he thinks marking the route with signs and stencils on the road would help travelers.

"Anything they do couldn't hurt," Bode said. "We get a lot of people who stop in here (at the Chamber office) who have lost track of the route. They miss the turn from Central to Garrison or from Garrison to Oak and end up on 171. They catch Route 66 again in Carterville, but they miss a good portion of the road."

Surface said the cities could use stencil and paint to mark any part of the route that does not have a state designation, without state permission.

In Carthage, that means the city could mark Oak Street to the city limits, but would have to seek MoDOT permission to mark either Central Street, which is also Missouri Highway 96 or Garrison Street, which is Missouri Highway 571.

Surface said once the decision is made on where to put the signs, and MoDOT starts producing them, the cities, as their part of the grant, will supply the signposts and put the signs up.

The signs will be blue and white and replace the old brown and white signs installed more than a decade ago.

Carthage City Administrator Tom Short said Carthage officials are waiting to see what Surface comes up with before doing anything, but the city would back almost any move to better mark Route 66.

Surface said officials in Webb City are waiting to hear from MoDOT what parts of the road in their city are not on state designated highways.

He said he's planning to hold a meeting with representatives of Carthage, Webb City and Joplin sometime in mid August after he hears from MoDOT.