Kicks, etc.

Ghost Road, originally uploaded by William 74.

This is an abandoned alignment of Route 66, in Dwight, Illinois. Route 66 was realigned several times throughout it's lifetime, and I believe that this particular stretch dates from the 1940's, and was part of a postwar effort to ease traffic congestion through some of the towns the road passed through. Still, one could easily make a turn onto the earlier route and go through Dwight, Odell, and other towns along the way.

A newer road parallels this stretch of old pavement, which was common later in 66's life in an effort to increase capacity. A new pair of lanes would be laid, parallel to the existing route and separated by a small median, giving four lanes. Often, the older stretch of road was closed when Route 66 was decommissioned, sometimes torn up, sometimes not. The area around Dwight has a very long stretch of this old pavement, and I was pleased to see this bit still had it's markings.