"This is fascinating and now on my bucket list! " -Car Pro Show Host Jerry Reynolds
Next year marks the 100th Anniversary of U.S. Route 66! To celebrate, Route 66 Musical Roads, experts in musical road installations, plans to roll out eight new musical roads along the iconic highway. It's submitted its proposal for the new road installations to the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission set up by Congress to oversee the 2026 celebration. We reached out to Route 66 Musical Roads to see where things stand with its proposal, but haven't heard back as of press time.
Founded by Chris Hill and Pete Thompson, Route 66 Musical Roads has previously said 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.
Last year, when sharing news of its proposal, Chris 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 says it's simple science to turn rumble strips on the side of the road into a musical instrument. It's all about vibration.
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 - the catch is that you have to be going exactly 45 miles an hour to hear the vibrations.
Click below to see and hear a demonstration:
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.
Actually creating a tangible tune takes quite a bit of work and planning. The best songs are simpler melodies like jingles, anthems, and rousing choruses. 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 about Route 66 Musical Roads click here.
Source: Press Release. Photo Credit: Route 66 Musical Roads.