Near Miami, Oklahoma, travelers can still find a nine-foot-wide stretch of pavement, the last surviving piece of its kind on old U.S. Route 66. Locals call it the “Sidewalk Road,” a reminder of the early days of federal highway construction.
This road was first approved in 1918 as Federal Aid Project No. 8. Work began in 1919, with crews finishing the Miami-to-Narcissa section in 1921 and extending it to Afton in 1922. Built by the Western Paving Company, the 15.5-mile route consisted of a concrete base, a layer of asphalt, and curbs. At the time, it carried the designation of Oklahoma State Highway 7.
Soon after, additional projects extended the road from Miami to Commerce and north to the Neosho River Bridge. By 1926, the creation of the U.S. highway system incorporated this narrow pavement into the brand-new Route 66.
For about a decade, the Sidewalk Road served cross-country travelers. But its sharp 90-degree turns and narrow width made driving difficult. In 1937, a wider, straighter alignment replaced the original road, today part of U.S. 60 and 59.
What remains near Miami is a short, rare stretch of nine-foot concrete, offering visitors a glimpse of the earliest days of Route 66. For those tracing the Mother Road, it’s one of the most tangible links to the highway’s beginnings.
