Introduction
In 2020, the Arizona Section of ASCE submitted a nomination of Route 66 in Mohave County for designation as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
At the suggestion of the History & Heritage Committee, the nomination is re-submitted as a part of the overall nomination of Route 66 from Chicago to
Santa Monica. The Section's nomination document can be accessed from the above link, Route 66 in Mohave County.
As stated in the nomination document, Route 66 embodies a complex, rich history that goes well beyond any chronicle of the road itself. An artery of transportation,
an agent of social transformation, and a remnant of America's past, it once stretched 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica. The 48-mile segment from McConnico, just south of Kingman, to Topock is part of the
longest remaining stretch of Route 66 in all of the eight Route 66 states.
Road-building in Arizona leading to the adoption of the alignment for Route 66 began with the appointment of Arizona Territory's first, and only, Territorial Engineer in 1909, James Bell Girand,
who developed the plan for the state's first system of highways. When Arizona was admitted to statehood in 1912 the Office of the Territorial Engineer was redesignated
as the Office of State Engineer with two-year terms for the designated State Engineers, who continued the development of the state highway system until 1927, when the
Arizona Highway Department was created. The Biennial Report of each State Engineer from 1912 to 1926 is included in the Arizona References.
Shown on the map above are two National Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks that can be accessed from Route 66, the Kaibab Trail Suspension Bridge, also known as the "Black Bridge", and the Navajo Bridge. Click on
the yellow markers to access web pages describing the landmarks.