What distinction did U.S. Route 66 achieve in 1938?

U.S. Route 66 became the first fully paved U.S. highway in 1938.

When Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926, much of its 2,448-mile route was still unpaved. It connected Chicago with Los Angeles across eight states, but travelers faced dirt, gravel, and difficult road conditions in several sections.

The highway’s paving was completed as automobile travel increased and communities along the route sought better access to markets and visitors. Full paving made long-distance driving more reliable and helped Route 66 become a major corridor for migration, commerce, and tourism.

This milestone is sometimes confused with the highway’s designation date, 1926, or the year its signs first appeared, 1927. Route 66 was also later extended west to Santa Monica in 1936, but the completion of paving came in 1938. The road was officially removed from the U.S. Highway System in 1985, although many sections survive as Historic Route 66.