What's about 80 years old, runs from one end of Logan County to the other and is about to get a jump-start back to life?

[DEC. 11, 2004]  Here's another clue: In its entirety it's approximately 2,400 miles long and runs the length of the country. If you guessed the Mother Road, old Route 66, you're right.

Whether seeking a leisurely Sunday afternoon drive through the countryside, a relaxed road trip off the beaten path, a bit of national history and friendly rural shopkeepers, people from across the world have been drawn to this scenic highway that holds a history of its own.

Roads like Route 66 nearly died out when federal highway dollars shifted toward the development of superhighways that circumvented small towns to speed up passenger travel and the transportation of goods.

The original Route 66 ran through eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

Now Illinois and the other the states from Chicago to Oklahoma are seeking to get Route 66 admitted to a new federal highway program and breathe it back to life.

The National Scenic Byways program was established in 2000 by the Federal Highway Administration. The program has already developed 30 scenic roadways in 20 states, with great results in increasing tourism.

There are a number of benefits in getting a scenic highway designation. It brings economic opportunities to an area. Tourism connected with the highway is promoted internationally, nationally and at state levels. Signage is provided. Participation in the program opens local grant opportunities that fund preservation, restoration and economic development.

Patty Coon, tourism executive director for the Illinois Department of Transportation, is heading up the Illinois work.

Celeste Rogers, director of the Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of Logan County, is handling details locally. Rogers has been working with the Lincoln City Council and the Logan County Board since October to secure requirements to gain admittance to the program. Both entities have now passed resolutions of agreement that must be submitted to the Federal Highway Administration before Dec. 31.

Lincoln has three old routes through town and all will be marked. The primary route that passes through Lincoln begins from the north at Business 55; turns left onto North Kickapoo Street, taking you into downtown; turns right onto Broadway; goes three blocks to Logan Street; turns left onto Logan Street, which becomes Fifth Street at the jog right, heading west out to Lincoln Parkway; then turns left and goes south toward Madigan State Park.

Lincoln hosts a historically significant portion of the highway. A section south of town is the only remaining single-lane (10-foot-wide) portion of the original highway. It leads up to "the bridge that isn't there."

The Route 66 National Scenic Byways is scheduled to be opened in about five years by the Federal Highway Administration.

[Jan Youngquist]