What early nickname described the diagonal alignment of U.S. Route 66?

The Great Diagonal Way was an early nickname for U.S. Route 66, reflecting its diagonal alignment across the Midwest.

Unlike a straight east-west highway, Route 66 connected Chicago to the Pacific coast through a path that cut diagonally across the central United States. The name emphasized the route’s unusual direction and helped distinguish it during the highway’s early years.

Route 66 acquired other famous names later. The U.S. Highway 66 Association promoted “The Main Street of America,” while John Steinbeck’s 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath popularized “The Mother Road.” “Will Rogers Highway” was another later designation, honoring the Oklahoma-born humorist and performer.

These names are sometimes treated as interchangeable, but they belong to different stages of Route 66’s history. The Great Diagonal Way is specifically associated with the route’s early physical layout, not with Steinbeck’s literary description or the highway association’s promotional slogan.