EZ UPDATES

For readers of the EZ 66 Guide for Travelers, I have provided free online updates to help keep your Route 66 experience as current as possible. As you might imagine, Route 66 is constantly undergoing changes, some good, others not so. Businesses open and close, roads are re-routed and street names change.

Please check back here just before your trip for the latest info. Entries are dated as to when they were added.

If you wish to purchase your own copy of the EZ Guide, please go here.

EZ 66 readers have been helpful in keeping me keep the guidebook updated in between my own road trips, so if you discover something that needs to be addressed while on your journey, please let me know!

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RV ALERT: LOW CLEARANCE ISSUES on May 23, 2015 at 5:03:06 pm [Print]
RV ALERT! LOW CLEARANCE!!!!!
This entry only applies to tall vehicles (RVs and Trucks)

A reader asked me about clearance issue with his 14 FOOT TALL trailer.

Since I have been gathering more data on RV issues, I decided now was the time to investigate.

Here are the results of a quick check of suspected clearance issues.

NOTE: One would assume that most interstate hwy era structures are OK. But some underpasses that carry the road under the interstate may be under 14 foot clearance (as in Lupton, AZ)! I cannot check every underpass.

This is just a partial list of possible issues. You may encounter low clearance at other places. USE THIS INFO AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Il page-3: There appears to be no clearance markings on the elevated tracks that cross Adams and Jackson. They look pretty low. It would not be advisable to tow a long trailer or drive a big RV thru downtown anyway.

IL page-5: There are many railroad underpasses on Ogden Ave. Many are unmarked. The ones at Ogden and Campbell are about 13"0' to 13'6".

IL page-6 North of Joliet: Hwy 53/Broadway: Railroad underpass 13'7" WB, 13' 6" EB. Use I-55 to US 80 (see map)

IL page-14: Bloomington IL...There is no clearance sign on a railroad underpass north of downtown.

IL page-19: Springfield Illinois...On the BL 55 (5th and 6th street one way couplet) south side of town: RR underpass: 5th St (WB traffic) 14'0"...6th St (EB traffic) 13'7" clearance.

The RR underpass on BL 55 (N 9th) on the north side of Springfield is currently unmarked, but looks short.

IL page 24: RR underpass south of Mt Olive is 13'7". Join I-55 at EXIT 44 to EXIT 41

MO page 15 The Devils Elbow bridge is 13' 8". If overheight, stay on 4 lane 66 thru here.

MO page-23: The bridge at Spencer is not marked as to height. Stay on MO 96 if in doubt.

OK page-22: Lake Overholser Bridge is 12'4" clearance and 10 tons limit. Stay on OK 66 to Yukon if over.

NM page-12: Albuquerque. The railroad underpass east side of downtown is only 13'11".

NM page 17: The RV Alert tunnel has only a 13'6" clearance. Stay on I-40 from exit 96 to Exit 89.

NM page 22:, the clearance for the RV alert is 13' 6".

NM page 28: Algodones NM (the pre 1937 route between Santa Fe and Albuquerque): RR underpass... 13 feet, one inch. Stay on I-25 in this section.

AZ page-3: the clearance for the underpass at exit 359 is under 14 foot. You'll have to join I-40 to continue west if overheight.

AZ page-13: Flagstaff. The railroad underpass west of downtown is 13"9"

CA page-21 Arcadia: the Railroad overpass on Colorado west of Santa Anita Ave is not marked.

I will add further low clearance issues to these updates as I become aware of them. Please remember that the EZ 66 Guide was created primarily with regular motor vehicles in mind, and that NOT EVERY LARGE RV RELATED ISSUE IS CURRENTLY COVERED! And check earlier update entries for more RV ALERTS.

MO page-27 on Apr 07, 2015 at 2:45:07 am [Print]
SIDE TRIP: Main Street in Webb City from Broadway down to MacArthur was "Business 66" from around 1951. Noteworthy on this stretch is the Route 66 Theater.

Mo page-18 on Feb 23, 2015 at 3:22:51 am [Print]
Scott Cameron, of Mr C's Route Post east of Lebanon, has passed away. We are losing too many of our good Route 66 people lately. The business is now closed.

Mo page-23 on Jan 23, 2015 at 4:49:27 pm [Print]
This is a very sad update. Gary Turner, famed owner of Gary's Gay Parita Sinclair at Pars Springs Jct has passed away. He was a friend to the route and an ambassador to the world. We'll all sure miss him.

new phone on Jan 13, 2015 at 5:42:55 pm [Print]
My new phone number is: 4oh5 24oh 7659 (just substitute 0 for oh...trying to confuse the phone number collecting web 'bots).

My old 903 cell number will go to voicemail, but I don't check it everyday. And my old 405 number will soon vanish.

Tucumcari, NM on Jan 05, 2015 at 5:05:49 pm [Print]
Tucumcari has several great Route 66 motels, including the Blue Swallow, Safari and Historic 66 Motels (all of which are in the EZ Guide).

Lately restoration has been underway on yet another, the Roadrunner Lodge Motel
at 1023 Highway 66 Tucumcari, NM 88401
575 282 RT66.

They are gradually adding new rooms and reviews are good. So there's not much reason to stay at a chain motel in Tucumcari!

OK page-18 on Nov 20, 2014 at 4:01:41 am [Print]
The SIDE TRIP, a "half mile dead end spur on private property" about one mile west of Luther is now blocked by a locked gate.

RV ALERT: 1926-1930 OPTION on Oct 26, 2014 at 9:15:01 pm [Print]
The 1926-1930 OPTION between Springfield and Staunton is routed on many narrow roads with narrow bridges and 90 degree corners. You may need to stay on modern IL 4 in your BIGGER RV for most of this (the section along Snell Rd should be OK if no weight limit is posted). See the map on IL page-18. Or take the Post 1930 OPTION.

RV ALERT Galena KS KS page-1 on Oct 26, 2014 at 9:10:39 pm [Print]
The entry westbound into Galena from Joplin uses a narrow road that crosses a weight-limited viaduct (I do not know the current limit). I would advise BIG RVs to stay on the 4-Lane thru Galena (see the map). Main St is not so long that you could not park somewhere suitable and walk to Cars on the Route.

RV ALERTS on Oct 26, 2014 at 9:08:09 pm [Print]
To clarify...the RV ALERTS in the EZ 66 Guide are there only to warn RVers about sections of 66 that I know are NOT suitable for RVs (especially the bigger ones). The ABSENCE of an RV ALERT in the text or directions elsewhere does NOT indicate any status as to a road's suitability for an RV.

Unfortunately, those with BIGGER and heavier bus or truck based RVs may encounter bridges with load limits, or uncomfortably narrow and LOW OVERPASSES on 1920s-30s roads in areas. As the EZ 66 is not a specialized guide aimed at RV travel, I have not vetted all of Route 66's many alignments to seek out such issues. But to be helpful, where there is an issue that I am aware of (Oatman, Santa Fe, etc), then I post it as an alert.

If drivers of big RVs will report on any sections of 66 that gave them problems, I will be happy to post the info on this website, and consider it for eventual publication in the actual book.

In the meantime, I'll post a few problematic areas.