Portion of Route 66 submerged under Lake Springfield. Gated off portion north and south of Lake feature old pavement not driven on since 1930s. |
County: Sagamon, IL
The path Route 66 took through the Land of Lincoln underwent its first major change in 1930 when the state realigned the highway east from Carlinville to Litchfield, moving the road from the windy curves of Macoupin County to a straight shot through the flat farmland of Montgomery County. At the north end of the realignment was Springfield, where the transition started by moving the highway's exit from the capital city from Chatham Avenue over to Sixth Street. From there the highway briefly jutted east away from its later 1935-1977 path before rejoining that modern-day I-55 corridor near the Glenarm exit.
This brief eastern detour between the south of Springfield and the Glenarm exchange only lasted five years, and there were two good reasons to abandon it. First, it wasn't necessary to send vehicles several miles east only to immediately re-route them back to the west.
And second: they built a giant lake over the highway.
Construction on Lake Springfield began in late 1931 after bonds were approved the previous year. The mammoth project involved clearing thousands of acres of farmland and damming Sugar Creek in order to create a reservoir of city water as well as a source of electricity for the city. The timing was exquisite: work began two years into the Great Depression, offering jobs to hundreds of Springfield area laborers desperate for an income. The project not only brought stable water and power to Sangamon County but also served as a lifeline of employment to the area for the first half of the nation's darkest decade.
Why the brief detour? Perhaps work was set to begin on the Lake along the Sixth Street/I-55 corridor first (since both roads did carry their traffic on a bridge over the Lake) so the road was relegated to an eastern path until the final alignment was completed. This would also help explain why halfway through the alignment's life it was cut in half as traffic followed the I-55 corridor all the way south to Lake Shore Drive before heading east. Whatever the reason, the result was an interesting diversion for Route 66 explorers that is often forgotten by most traveling the Mother Road.
Route 66's Lake Springfield alignment followed SBI 126 (Sixth Street)to what is now Southwind Drive, the first overpass on I-55 south of the city (there is no exchange with the interstate). Heading east, it curved south (here you can still find old brick from the original roadway) and followed modern-day Cottonhill Road south past Toronto Road. The Lake interrupts the journey about one mile south of Toronto, and a barricade keeps traffic off of the old pavement as it heads toward the water.
On the south side of the Lake the road reemerges from the depths as a private drive, with a northern rocky stretch separated by a far more decorative barrier than the cheap gate found on the opposite banks. The brief driveway intersects with Lake Shore Drive and heads due south for a tenth of a mile before LSD curves to the west and Route 66 departs from it, staying on a southern course. This 1.3 mile-long portion, marked as both "Old Route 66" and "Old Carriage Way" is one of the most interesting in the state: its bumpy pavement dates back decades to the days when a US Highway 66 shield would have been displayed along side it, and the stretch is currently under review for NRHP (National Register of Historic Places) preservation which would not prevent repairs to the road but would ensure that consideration is made towards the historic nature of the roadway. Besides the age of the pavement, the trip here also serves as a sudden dichotomic splash of cold water for the southern traveler as you move first from the busy city into the modern, lush greenery of the Lake Springfield area and the suddenly onto this lonely, straight stretch of highway amidst nothing more than flat Central Illinois cornfields. It's obvious here for the first time that your trip to the capital city is behind you.
At the southern end of Olde Carriage Way Route 66 turned west onto New City Road briefly before another southern turn; at the western intersection is the Ball Elementary School, part of the Ball-Chatham School District and a former high school. The road headed south for three miles to another curve west. Here the road used to go one mile due west to join the current I-55 corridor, and a remnant of the old pavement is visable just a few feet east of the I-55 northbound lanes. The modern-day road curves south to the Glenarm exit instead, joining I-55 six-tenths of a mile south of the old intersection, but several homes lie on the old pavement ("Burtle Lane") and access to the original alignment is easy.
Starting in 1933, the northern end of the Lake Springfield alignment was truncated, possibly due to construction of the Lake. Route 66 followed the Sixth Street/Illinois 126 part further out of the city, heading east on Lake Shore Drive and rejoining its previous 1930 alignment at the intersection of LSD and Olde Carriage Way. In 1935 traffic began to ignore LSD and head due south all the way from Springfield well into Montgomery County.
