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Route 66 Decertified June 26, 1985 – Significant Consequences for Route 66 Communities

Abandoned Standard Oil Station in Peach Springs, Arizona

On June 26, 1985, highway officials decertified Route 66. The decertification vote ended Route 66 as a federal highway diverting traffic away from remaining segments. This action had significant impacts for communities along the route with many suffering steep economic decline or becoming ghost towns.

 

Abandoned Standard Oil Station in Peach Springs, Arizona
An abandoned Standard Oil gas station in Peach Springs, Arizona

This abandoned gas station is in Peach Springs, AZ. Cars would have been lined up three deep at these pumps before the bypass.

An abandoned building from an auto-camp in Two Guns, Arizona.
An abandoned building from an auto-camp in Two Guns, Arizona.

The community of Two Guns, Arizona, despite getting an exit off of I-40, became a ghost town after Route 66 was decertified. Abandoned building like this former auto-camp are all that is left.

The interstate highway project was viewed by many as a shining example of progress. For many communities in America, however, it ushered in an era of steep decline and even oblivion.