Route 66 - Historical Marker - Ottawa County , Oklahoma, USA
N 36° 48.932 W 094° 55.607
15S E 328139 N 4076141
An Oklahoma Historical Marker - Commemorates the last remaining nine feet wide paved road in the USA. This historic portion of Route 66 road is known as the 'Ribbon Road' or 'Sidewalk Highway' located in Ottawa County, Oklahoma.
Waymark Code: WMKWG4
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 06/03/2014
Views: 7
The polished, pink granite, Oklahoma Historical Marker, has been erected alongside the old 9 feet wide, original pavement of the 1926 Route 66 Highway.
The Marker is located South of Miami-OK, at the Junction of the interstates 59/69 and the road now designated E140. The old Route 66 is the last section of the original nine feet wide 'Ribbon Road; or 'Sidewalk Road' on Route 66, the old pavement is listed as an Oklahoma National Historic Landmark.
The Marker Reads:
Historic Route 66, Ribbon Road - Sidewalk Highway.
Completed in 1922 as Federal Highway project No.8.
Running 15.46 miles from Miami to Afton.
The only remaining 9' section of original pavement on the old Route 66 system, taken out of service in 1937.
A National Register of Historic Places.
"Pouring more than 2,400 miles of concrete turned out to be a pretty expensive project, especially back in the 1920's. So, the state of Oklahoma came up with a solution: a road that's half as wide should cost half as much. To save money as they paved parts of Route 66, they poured the concrete just 9 feet wide, creating just one hard-surfaced lane. Hey, it's not like that "automobile" thing was really going to catch on, and there would ever be two cars on the road at the same time!
Incredibly, two sections of Oklahoma's "Sidewalk Highway" or "Ribbon Road" still exist, and are drivable. The northern section is easy to find, just outside of Miami, Oklahoma." Text Source: (
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"This section of the road predates Route 66, having been built in the early 1920's. Legend has it that when the road was built, Oklahoma's budget was tight, so rather than covering half the mileage, they covered half the width. This remarkable piece of vintage pavement zigzags for 13 miles between Miami and Afton. Amazingly this original stretch of pavement is in extremely good shape for its age, but take care along this stretch for oncoming vehicles. If you plan to travel this short stretch of the Mother Road, use caution if it’s been raining or if you have an oversized vehicle.
The only town that existed on this nine foot roadway was the small community of Narcissa, established in 1902. All that’s left today is an old garage and gas station." Text Source: (
visit link)