U.S. Route 66 in New Mexico

This article is about the section of U.S. Route 66 in New Mexico. For the entire length of the highway, see U.S. Route 66.

U.S. Route 66
NM 118; NM 122; NM 124; NM 333; I-40 Bus.
Route information
Maintained by NMDOT
Major junctions
West end:	Historic US 66 towards Holbrook, AZ
	US 85 in Albuquerque US 54 in Tucumcari
East end:	I-40 Bus. / Historic US 66 towards Adrian, TX
Highway system
United States Numbered Highways List • Bannered • Divided • Replaced State Roads in New Mexico SR • Minor SR • US ← NM 117 NM 118 NM 119 → ← NM 121 NM 122 NM 124 NM 125 → ← NM 330 NM 333 NM 337 →

Old Route 66 westbound near I-40 exit 104.

The historic U.S. Route 66 (US 66) ran east–west across the central part of the U.S. state of New Mexico, along the path now taken by Interstate 40. However, until 1937, it took a longer route via Los Lunas, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe, now roughly NM 6, I-25, and US 84. Large portions of the old road parallel to I-40 have been designated State Road 118 (NM 118), State Road 122 (NM 122), State Road 124 (NM 124), State Road 333 (NM 333), three separate loops of Interstate 40 Business, and state-maintained frontage roads.

History

Route 66 in New Mexico was marked over portions of two auto trails — the National Old Trails Road from Arizona via Albuquerque and Santa Fe to just shy of Las Vegas, and one of the main routes of the Ozark Trails network from that point into Texas.^[1] The state had taken over maintenance of these roads under several numbers: State Road 6 from Arizona to Los Lunas, part of State Road 1 through Albuquerque and Santa Fe to near Las Vegas, State Road 56 to Santa Rosa, the short State Road 104 to Cuervo, and part of State Road 3 to Texas. While NM 56 and NM 104 were completely absorbed by US 66, NM 6 was reassigned to a route splitting from US 66 (old NM 6) at Laguna and heading straight east through Albuquerque, Moriarty, and Palma to US 66 at Santa Rosa. Except between Albuquerque and Moriarty, where it formed part of U.S. Route 470, this was an unimproved road.^[2][3][4]

This new NM 6 was approved as a future realignment of Route 66 by 1932, and in 1933 a new bridge over the Rio Puerco opened. Once paving was completed in 1937, with AASHO approval given on September 26, 1937,^[5] Route 66 was moved to this shorter route, known as the Laguna Cut-off west of Albuquerque and the Santa Rosa Cut-off east of Albuquerque.^[6] The bypassed roads became NM 6 once again to the west and part of US 84 to the east.^{[citation needed]}

Route description

From the Arizona state line to the Grants area is mountainous, and US 66 meanders around I-40. It also passes through some Indian reservations. At Laguna, New Mexico is the Laguna Indian Pueblo.

At Mesita, the highway originally followed what is now NM 6 to east of I-25 at Los Lunas. It passed through Albuquerque from south to north along Fourth Street, part of the historic El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (El Camino Real). The highway is now replaced with I-25 through Santa Fe to, almost, Las Vegas (Historic 66 turns south before reaching Las Vegas), though several old sections exist which are barely (if at all) driveable. From south of Las Vegas back to I-40, the road has been replaced with US 84.

The later alignment (and more popular) continued straight west to Albuquerque, becoming Central Avenue through the city. While the former US-66 route through Albuquerque is now owned and maintained by the city of Albuquerque, a few US-66/BUSINESS I-40 signs remain along Central Avenue in the downtown area. East of Albuquerque, US 66 is now NM 333 all the way to Moriarty. Interstate 40 east of Moriarty to Santa Rosa was built by adding a second set of lanes to US 66. East of Santa Rosa, US 66 is now largely frontage roads for I-40 or business loops for Santa Rosa and Tucumcari. At San Jon, the original alignment (now gravel) continues to the Texas state line at Glenrio. A later alignment is the north frontage road for I-40.

See also

	New Mexico portal
	U.S. Roads portal

• U.S. Route 66

Media related to U.S. Route 66 in New Mexico at Wikimedia Commons

• Anaconda, New Mexico

References

1. ^ Map of the Ozark Trails
2. ^ Rand McNally Auto Road Atlas, 1926, accessed via the Broer Map Library
3. ^ Clason Map Company, Touring Atlas of the United States, 1926, New Mexico
4. ^ Rand McNally Auto Road Atlas, 1927, Arizona and New Mexico
5. ^ James R. Powell, A Brief History of U.S. Highway 66 and The Route 66 Association of Missouri
6. ^ Dr. David Kammer, Route 66 Through New Mexico: Re-Survey Report, March 2003

U.S. Route 66
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