It’s History

Why Chicago's Route 66 is Totally Forbidden | Joliet Road

12 min · 21. maj 2026
episode Why Chicago's Route 66 is Totally Forbidden | Joliet Road cover

Description

Just outside Chicago, a mile-long stretch of historic Route 66 is barricaded and crumbling above two massive quarry pits. Once called Joliet Road, this corridor carried twenty thousand drivers a day through the southwestern suburbs, lined with diners, gas stations, and family businesses. Today, it is off-limits to the public. The story of this segment of America's iconic highway involves industrial ambition and legal battles. Decades of aggressive limestone quarrying by Vulcan Materials eroded the bedrock beneath the road, causing it to become suspended on a crumbling ridge. By 1998, the pavement was buckling and shifting, leading to its permanent closure by the Illinois Department of Transportation. A subsequent $40 million legal settlement led Illinois to opt not to rebuild, resulting in lost businesses and disrupted communities. #Route66 #ChicagoHistory #ItsHistory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

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