Route 66 National Historic Trail Designation Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Route 66 National Historic Trail Designation Act amends the National Trails System Act to add Route 66 as a National Historic Trail. The trail includes all alignments of U.S. Highway 66 in existence between 1926 and 1985, running approximately 2,400 miles from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, as shown on the December 2017 National Park Service map. The map must be on file and available for public inspection at appropriate National Park Service offices. The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the National Park Service Director, administers the trail in a way that respects and maintains Route 66's idiosyncratic nature and the communities along the corridor. The bill gives Route 66 a federal historic-trail designation that can strengthen preservation, interpretation, tourism, and coordination without itself creating a broad new infrastructure program.
Who Benefits and How
Route 66 communities benefit from national historic-trail recognition that can support heritage tourism and preservation partnerships. Historic preservation organizations benefit from a federal framework for interpretation and corridor coordination. Travelers and cultural heritage visitors benefit from clearer National Park Service recognition of the full historic route. Small businesses along Route 66 benefit if designation increases tourism attention to local stops and attractions.
Who Bears the Burden and How
National Park Service trail staff must administer the new national historic trail and maintain public map availability. Department of the Interior managers must coordinate trail administration across multiple states and communities. Property owners along the route may face more public attention and coordination requests even without automatic land acquisition. Federal taxpayers bear the administrative cost of adding Route 66 to the National Trails System.
Key Provisions
- Designates Route 66 as a National Historic Trail.
- Includes historic U.S. Highway 66 alignments from 1926 through 1985.
- Provides an approximately 2,400-mile route from Chicago to Santa Monica.
- Requires the National Park Service map to be available for public inspection.
- Directs Interior and NPS administration that respects Route 66 communities and character.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Designates the Route 66 National Historic Trail along approximately 2,400 miles of historic U.S. Highway 66 alignments from Chicago to Santa Monica, assigns administration to the National Park Service, requires public map availability, and directs administration that respects Route 66 communities and character.
Key Policy Areas
Public Lands, Historic Preservation, Tourism
Primary Purpose
Designates the Route 66 National Historic Trail along approximately 2,400 miles of historic U.S. Highway 66 alignments from Chicago to Santa Monica, assigns administration to the National Park Service, requires public map availability, and directs administration that respects Route 66 communities and character.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Route 66 communities
- Historic preservation organizations
- Cultural heritage visitors
- Small businesses along Route 66
Identified Costs
- National Park Service trail staff
- Department of the Interior managers
- Property owners along the route
- Federal taxpayers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. LaHood (for himself and Ms. Leger Fernandez) introduced the …
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Department of the Interior managers, National Park Service trail staff
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology