This is fascinating and now on my bucket list!
-CarPro Show Host Jerry Reynolds
As if we needed another reason to take a road trip! Route 66 Musical Roads, experts in musical road installations, says it's submitting plans to rollout eight new musical roads along U.S. Route 66, as part of the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission. The commission, set up by Congress, is overseeing the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the U.S. Route 66 in 2026.
Founded by Chris Hill and Pete Thompson, Route 66 Musical Roads says it's working with the American Society of Civil Engineers on the project. The goal is to install at least one musical road in each of the states the road crosses: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.
Hill said, "Music and driving have been perfect partners since the invention of the vehicle. To have multiple musical roads along U.S. Route 66, one in each state, is obvious to us." Thompson said, "The chance to celebrate U.S Route 66 with these installations is just thrilling."
Musical Roads combine art, safety, and music, where the road itself becomes an instrument, providing a unique and engaging driving experience. The repeating strips on the side of the road (think rumble strips) have traditionally served as rumble strips to remind drivers of their lane's edge. However, Hill and Thompson have taken this mid-20th-century technology to new heights by installing Musical Roads.
Route 66 Musical Roads says Hill and Thompson have pioneered the development of Musical Roads in the United States - including designing and installing a musical road for the New Mexico Department of Transportation as part of the National Geographic television show, "Crowd Control," aimed at altering driving habits. Anyone driving over that installation would hear America The Beautiful playing through their vehicle, as long as they were traveling at the 45 mph. Hill explains, "It's safety and entertainment."
Click below to see and hear a demonstration of the Musical Route 66:
The company says the underlying principle is simple: to create a specific musical note, you only need to vibrate an object a particular number of times per second. Whether it's a guitar string, an oboe reed, an insect's back leg, or a car wheel, the concept remains consistent. For example, vibrating anything 440 times in one second produces an "A" note.
Turning this concept into a tangible tune involves meticulous planning. The process begins with selecting a suitable song, and while hard core dance tunes may be challenging, simpler melodies like jingles, anthems, and rousing choruses prove to be highly effective. Once the song is chosen, the intricate work of breaking down the piece into individual, recognizable notes and translating them into rumble strips begins.
"All you need is a fairly straight piece of asphalt. The road's length determines the song's duration. U.S. Route 66 could not be more perfect for this," explains Thompson. "Musical Roads can be installed wherever there is an extended stretch of asphalt, and drivers can maintain a steady speed, making them versatile additions for highways, parking lots, campuses, driveways, and even airport runways."
For more details on the company's plans, which also include road markings and signage to go along with the music, check out the Route 66 Musical Roads website is www.route66musicalroads.com.
Source: Press Release. Photo Credit: Route 66 Musical Roads.