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Route 66 gets a boost

(26 Sep 2005)

Going back-packing? – Get a great deal on travel insurance

Backpackers hoping to travel along America's historic road, Route 66, will soon be able to take advantage of new facilities along the Illinois stretch.

The road, made famous in such songs as Nat King Cole's (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66, connects Los Angeles to Chicago and has long been a symbol of the American great outdoors.

Now the US department of transportation has designated the section of the route in the state of Illinois a 'national scenic byway', meaning it will benefit from additional funding.

Route 66's new 'scenic' status is expected to draw in many more tourists looking to benefit from the new amenities as well as raise the profile of the route as a tourist destination.

Local tourism officials hope the funding can be used to make the area along Route 66 even more attractive to travellers through creating more and better facilities along the way.

Marge Heissinger, local tourism official, said: "Already, it draws people from every state and many foreign countries. They're drawn mostly by nostalgia, looking into our small-town past, our history and America's movement westward."


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