In Pixar’s Cars, what highway bypasses Radiator Springs?

Interstate 40 bypasses Radiator Springs in Pixar’s Cars.

The town’s decline is explained through the history of road development. Radiator Springs once depended on travelers using Route 66, but the construction of Interstate 40 redirected most traffic away from the community. The film uses this fictional history to show how highway expansion affected real Route 66 towns.

Lightning McQueen first sees Radiator Springs after being separated from his transport convoy. His accidental arrival allows the residents to make him repair the damage he caused to the town’s road. While working there, he learns why the town matters to its residents and how strongly they remember its earlier prosperity.

Interstate 40 is a real east-west highway running across the southern United States. It replaced or paralleled portions of the historic Route 66 in several areas, including parts of the Southwest. The film’s fictional geography combines real transportation history with invented locations and characters.