Road Ahead Works to Plan for the Route 66 Centennial in 2026

The Road Ahead is taking the lead in planning the Route 66 Centennial. Its goal is to leverage this historic anniversary to help the millions of people who live, work, and travel along Route 66 through programs that preserve, promote, foster research/education, and economically develop the road.

In 2020, the Road Ahead worked closely with Congressman Rodney Davis (R-IL) and Congresswoman Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA) in 2020 to ensure the passage of H.R. 66, a bill to establish the Route 66 Centennial Commission. The Commission is charged with studying and recommending ways to celebrate and commemorate Route 66’s 100th anniversary in 2026.

To date, the Route 66 Centennial Commission has identified 27 official Route 66 Centennial Projects/Activities, of which the Road Ahead proposed 23.

Route 66 was our nation’s first all-paved U.S. Highway System connecting the Midwest to California. In the 1930s, it served as a “road to opportunity” for hundreds of thousands of Americans escaping the devastation of the Dust Bowl. It provided thousands of jobs, putting unemployed workers who had lost their jobs during the Great Depression on road crews. During the Second World War, Route 66 transported troops, equipment, and supplies to military bases nationwide. It was used after the war by thousands of soldiers returning home to their families. By the 1950s, Route 66 had seen the rise of tourism and became a symbol of American freedom and independence.