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Along Route 66, Cleaning up the
Reminders of an Historic
Road's Former Glory
B
Brownfields Along Historic Route 66
ack in 1920s America, automobiles were being mass-produced
for the first time and becoming exponentially more popular. The
country's road system at the time needed major upgrades to meet ever-
increasing vehicle demands. One of those upgrades would be the first
highway connecting Chicago and Los Angeles—a fully paved (rare
for the time), two-lane road stretching nearly 2,500 miles across eight
states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico,
Arizona, and California. Officially commissioned in 1926, this highway
was designated as U.S. Route 66. The Route became an important
pathway for migration to the west, particularly in the 1930s, and gave
new life to the towns and cities through which it passed.
In the decades that followed, four-lane highways gradually became
the standard for interstate travel, and two-lane roads such as Route 66
became less widely used. By the 1970s, almost all of Route 66 had
been bypassed by modern highway systems, turning the Route into a
nostalgic, alternate roadway. When Route 66 was officially removed
from the U.S. highway system in 1985, its nostalgic allure only
increased. Portions of the road were designated National Scenic Byways
and remain on maps as "Historic Route 66." Some other sections were
turned into state or private roads, or abandoned completely. While the
road no longer runs uninterrupted from Chicago to L.A., more than 80
percent of the original Route 66 still exists and has a loyal fan base,
with several groups dedicated to its preservation and in some instances,
restoration.
In many cases, the need for restoration is not on the roadway itself, but
on the properties that line it. Route 66 's heyday and subsequent decline
left hundreds of gas and auto service stations, hotels, and restaurants
closed and abandoned along the historic path. The dormant gas stations
had underground storage tanks (USTs) containing residual petroleum,
and over the years, many of the tanks deteriorated to the point where
their contents leaked and contaminated the surrounding property.
Recognizing that cleaning up these properties to remove contamination
or the threat of future leaks would reduce human health risks, increase
property values, and clear the way for revitalization of affected cities
and towns, a number of federal, state, and local partnerships formed
to take the necessary actions. For example, in the small town of Sayre,
Oklahoma, a community-led initiative used state funding to assess and,
when necessary, clean up 19 former gas stations along Historic Route
66. Doubling as Sayre's Main Street, Route 66 is considered one of
Sayre's most important landmarks and attractions, and cleaning these
dormant sites was essential to the town's well-being.
A gas station along Route 66 in Kingman,
Arizona, still open for business.
JUST THE FACTS:
• Arizona's Route 66 Initiative has
proven successful in identifying
and cleaning up properties along
the historic route; from June 2004
to June 2008, 27 sites with leaking
underground storage tanks were
addressed.
• In Albuquerque, New Mexico, an
EPA Brownfields grant enabled
assessments of a former industrial
and office site along Route 66,
revealing lead and asbestos
contamination.
Four years after these assessments,
an EPA Brownfields Cleanup
Revolving Loan Fund grant helped
to remove the site's contamination,
clearing the way for a $4.9 million
residential development project.
The City of Flagstaff, Arizona
is using a Brownfields grant from EPA to
inventory sites in the city's Route 66 Central
Corridor, conduct community outreach, and
perform environmental assessments.
Long-range plans for these properties include
historic restoration of some original gas station
properties, an open marketplace, and a
mixed-use complex featuring residential
and retail space.
continued
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On the federal level—particularly since several sections of the Route have been designated a National Scenic
Byway—the National Park Service established a "Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program" dedicated to
preserving selected roadside properties. The Program provides technical assistance and cost-share grants, and
works closely with partners including local governments and associations, nonprofits, and individuals such as
property and business owners to restore and preserve these roadside properties.
In Arizona, the state's Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ)
created the Route 66 Initiative in June 2004. Arizona currently has
about 70 open sites (i.e., with corrective actions incomplete) along the
Route on which leaking underground storage tanks (LUST) or pipes
have been reported and further investigation (and potentially, cleanup)
is necessary. Overseen by ADEQ and the U.S. EPA, the Initiative was
created to identify and clean up releases, remove orphaned USTs, and
assist UST owners with addressing releases. The Initiative has already
proven effective at addressing LUST sites. From June 2004 to June
2008, 27 LUST sites along Route 66 were removed from Arizona's list
of problem sites.
A preserved roadside gas station along historic Route 66.
In early 2006, the U.S. EPA and ADEQ partnered with local
communities in the Winslow-Holbrook area to explore UST site redevelopment opportunities. ADEQ and
EPA hope that remediating and restoring these properties will revitalize affected cities and towns, increase
property values, and protect human health and the environment. Meetings held in Winslow and Holbrook
drew representatives from 20 different agencies and organizations, as well as from the local press, banks and
other private industry, community members, and property owners.
CONTACTS:
For more information contact
EPA's Office of Brownfields and Land
Revitalization: (202) 566-2777
Complementing the efforts of the Route 66 Initiative is EPA's Brownfields Program,
which in the last decade has helped to address hundreds of UST sites through
assessment and cleanup grants. Dormant, former gas station properties have
always been a common type of brownfield, and the Brownfields Program is
targeting them in locations across America, as well as on historic Route 66.
Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at:
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
Flagstaff, Arizona, is home to a section of Route 66 with several former gas
station properties. Though most of these properties are being reused for gift
shops and other light commerce, uncertainties about leaking USTs and other
contamination remain. A $200,000 Brownfields Assessment grant from EPA,
awarded in May 2006, is being used to create a detailed inventory of sites in
Flagstaff's Route 66 Central Corridor, conduct community outreach, perform
environmental site assessments, and develop a comprehensive redevelopment
plan for targeted properties. Long-range, potential plans for these properties
include historic restoration of some of the original gas station properties, an open
marketplace, and a mixed-use complex featuring residential and retail space.
The City of Albuquerque, New Mexico, received an EPA Brownfields Assessment grant in 1999 that was
used to address brownfields along historic Route 66, as well as other properties. One of these roadside
properties was an active trading post operating on a former industrial and office site. EPA-funded
assessments conducted on this property in May 2000 revealed lead and asbestos contaminants that were
removed four years later (after the trading post's closure) using $265,000 in EPA Brownfields Cleanup
Revolving Loan funds. Assessments and cleanup of this property led to its purchase by a private developer
that built a $4.9 million housing development on the land. For additional information on the Route 66
Initiative overseen by the ADEQ and EPA, please visit www.azdeq.gov/environ/ust/66/index.html. For more
information on EPA's Brownfields Program, including a list of EPA Regional contacts and grantees in your
area, please visitwww.epa.gov/brownfields/index.html.
Brownfields Success Story
Brownfields Along Historic Route 66
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA-560-F-09-018
February 2009
www. epa.gov/brownfie/ds/
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