Failure™ Magazine

Route 66: Road Worthy

Revitalizing Route 66 in Arizona.

Written by Jason Zasky   Filed under Business, Science & Technology

At one point, Arizona reported the existence of 350 leaking underground storage tanks (LUST’s)—mostly at gas stations—and many of them along the state’s Route 66 corridor. This prompted ADEQ to launch the Route 66 Initiative, which, according to its Web site, aims to remove abandoned LUST’s and identify and clean up so-called “releases.”

“Prior to the Initiative they had 99 sites in Arizona that had to be cleaned up or closed on Route 66,” says Maggie Witt, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Route 66 project manager.

Considerable progress has already been made. “In the past two years they have cleaned up or closed 22 of them,” Witt continues, “with 90 percent of the cost covered by ADEQ and 10 percent by the property owner.”

But numbers don’t tell the whole story. Abandoned gas stations are sometimes referred to as brownfields, “where the reuse or redevelopment of the site is prevented or delayed by environmental contamination or the thought that there might be contamination,” says Laurie Amaro, an environmental protection specialist at the EPA.

Without government intervention, brownfields are rarely redeveloped because potential owners are fearful about the legal liability that might be transferred to them if they purchase contaminated property.

“By cleaning up sites through the Route 66 Initiative it lifts the responsibility off the shoulders of the owners [as long as they are not the responsible party]. If the site is cleaned up the likelihood that it will be redeveloped and become a new business is greatly improved,” adds Witt.

And that’s exactly what appears to be happening along Route 66 in Arizona. “A lot of businesses are starting to reopen again [in Kingman] and we are starting to restore some of the landmarks,” notes Davis, who describes Kingman as “the place to live now,” thanks to its small town atmosphere and improving economy.

Meanwhile, Lila Atkins, museum director at the Winslow Historical Society’s Old Trails Museum, reports that Winslow, Arizona—immortalized in The Eagles’ hit song “Take It Easy”—is also experiencing a “resurgence,” noting that “many old buildings are being restored and utilized,” including famous Earl’s Motor Lodge, which recently restored its original neon lights.

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