Duckworth bill to commemorate and preserve Route 66 passes Senate committee

Legislation authorizing the Route 66 Centennial Commission Act, which would establish a centennial commission in preparation for the 100th anniversary of Route 66, passed a Senate committee on Wednesday.

The measure was introduced by U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Jim Inhofe, R-Okla. It passed the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Route 66 begins in Chicago and heads south through Metro East before going on to Missouri and six other states, including Oklahoma, before ending on the Pacific Coast of California.

Duckworth and Inhofe both serve as members of the EPW Committee.

“Route 66 has played a tremendous role in Illinois’s history, helping to promote travel and commerce from Chicago to East St. Louis and so many communities in between,” Duckworth said. “This committee took an important step today, and I look forward to working with Senator Inhofe to pass this bill out of the full Senate and protect this landmark highway while supporting local economies by designating it as a national historic trail.”

The commission created by the Route 66 Centennial Commission Act would be made up of representatives from each of the eight Route 66 states and would recommend activities to commemorate the 100th anniversary in 2026. The bill would also direct the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to develop a plan on the preservation needs of the historic roadway. The Route 66 Ahead Partnership supports the legislation.