Roadside Stories

Kaler: WE ALL THINK WE KNOW AMERICAN HISTORY, BUT THERE'S OFTEN MORE MYTH THAN TRUTH. TAKE THAT MONUMENT OF HUMAN INGENUITY, THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE. DID YOU KNOW THAT DESPITE ITS RENOWNED STRENGTH, IT CONTAINS 221 TONS OF DEFECTIVE STEEL? OR THAT FIVE DECADES BEFORE WOMEN COULD VOTE, THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND ITS CREATION WAS A WOMAN. AND HOW ABOUT AMERICA'S MOTHER ROAD, ROUTE 66? WHAT IF I TOLD YOU IT WAS ALMOST NAMED SOMETHING ELSE OR THAT ITS OFFICIAL END IS NOT WHERE YOU THINK IT IS? I'M JAMIE KALER. BUCKLE UP AS WE WEAVE AROUND THE POTHOLES ON OUR HIGHWAY TO THE TRUTH. -- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE HAS LINKED TWO PARTS OF NEW YORK CITY, LONG ISLAND AND MANHATTAN, SINCE 1883. WHEN CONSTRUCTION WAS COMPLETED, BROOKLYN WAS ITS OWN SEPARATE CITY FROM NEW YORK, WHICH ONLY CHANGED WHEN IT WAS INCORPORATED AS A BOROUGH OF THE BIG APPLE IN 1898. BUT THERE'S A LOT MORE TO THE STORY OF THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE, SO LET'S HEAD ACROSS AND UNVEIL ITS SECRETS. 150,000 OF US CROSS THIS PRIZED LANDMARK EVERY DAY. BUT THE THINGS WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT COULD FILL A BOOK. WHAT WE DO KNOW GENERALLY GOES LIKE THIS. THE BRIDGE IS THE BRAINCHILD OF A GERMAN IMMIGRANT AND BRILLIANT ENGINEER NAMED JOHN ROEBLING. BUT HE DIES TRAGICALLY ON A BROOKLYN DOCK EVEN BEFORE CONSTRUCTION STARTS WHEN HE'S STRUCK BY A FERRY THAT HIS BRIDGE WILL ONE DAY PUT OUT OF BUSINESS. ROEBLING'S SON, WASHINGTON, A TALENTED ENGINEER HIMSELF, TAKES THE REINS OF THE HUGE PROJECT. Mann: WASHINGTON WOULD HAVE DONE ANYTHING TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT BRIDGE CAME OUT RIGHT. HE REALLY PUT HIS HEART AND SOUL INTO IT. Kaler: USING A REVOLUTIONARY METHOD, WASHINGTON'S CREW SINK THE TWO STONE TOWERS DOWN TO THE BEDROCK, AND THEY SUSPEND THE MASSIVE STEEL CABLES BETWEEN THE TOWERS, SUPPORTING THE ROADWAY BELOW. THE BRIDGE FINALLY OPENS IN 1883, AND BECAUSE IT'S DESIGNED SO WELL AND USES ONLY THE FINEST 19th-CENTURY MATERIALS, IT STANDS PROUDLY TO THIS DAY. IF YOU BELIEVE ALL OF THAT, I'VE GOT A BRIDGE I CAN SELL YOU, STARTING WITH THE MATTER OF JOHN ROEBLING'S DEATH. THE TRUTH IS THAT THE FERRY DOESN'T KILL HIM. IT JUST CRUSHES HIS FOOT. WHAT REALLY DOES HIM IN IS THE DECISION HE MAKES AFTER THE ACCIDENT. HE REFUSED TO HAVE REGULAR MEDICAL ATTENTION FOR THE FOOT. HE BELIEVED IN SOMETHING CALLED HYDROTHERAPY, AND HIS ONLY MEDICAL INTERVENTION WAS TO HAVE ICE-COLD WATER POURED OVER HIS FOOT. SO, OF COURSE, HE DIED. THE GANGRENE KILLED HIM IN LESS THAN A MONTH. AND THAT IS WHY HE DID NOT WORK ON THE BRIDGE. Kaler: ROEBLING'S SON, WASHINGTON, DOES TAKE OVER THE PROJECT, BUT HE DOESN'T LAST LONG AT THE BUILDING SITE, EITHER. THE FACT IS THAT ONLY TWO YEARS INTO CONSTRUCTION, WASHINGTON IS ALSO SIDELINED BY A DEVASTATING INJURY. AS THE TOWERS ARE ERECTED, THEY REST ON HUGE, HOLLOW BASES CALLED CAISSONS. WORKERS EXCAVATE THE SANDY BOTTOM OF THE EAST RIVER FROM INSIDE THESE CAISSONS. Mann: THE CAISSON IS GOING DEEPER AND DEEPER AND DEEPER BELOW THE RIVER AS THE TOWER IS BEING BUILT HIGHER AND HIGHER AND HIGHER ABOVE IT. AND THE IDEA IS THAT THE CAISSON HAS TO GET TO BEDROCK IN ORDER FOR THIS MASSIVE TOWER THAT'S BEING BUILT TO STAND FIRMLY, TO LAST FOREVER. THESE HAS NEVER BEEN TRIED IN ENGINEERING BEFORE. THESE WERE WOODEN STRUCTURES. THEY'RE MADE OF WHITE PINE. AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, 130 YEARS AFTER THEY WERE BUILT, THEY ARE STILL DOWN THERE. Kaler: BUT THE CAISSONS HOLD DANGERS NEW TO 19th CENTURY MEDICINE. THE DEEPER THEY PENETRATE DOWN TO THE BEDROCK, THE GREATER THE AIR PRESSURE INSIDE. LIKE A DEEP-SEA DIVER RETURNING TO THE SURFACE TOO QUICKLY, WORKERS FAILING TO DECOMPRESS FACED POTENTIALLY FATAL RESULTS. Mann: NOBODY KNEW THAT YOU HAD TO SLOWLY GO BACK TO NORMAL AIR PRESSURE, SO THEY WOULD CLIMB UP AND DOWN THE LADDERS IN AND OUT OF THE CAISSON WITHOUT WAITING. SUDDENLY, THEY HIT THE AIR, AND THEY WOULD GET THESE TREMENDOUS PAINS IN THEIR STOMACH AND SOMETIMES FALL DOWN DEAD. Kaler: MORE THAN 100 WORKERS ARE LEFT PERMANENTLY DISABLED BY WHAT COMES TO BE CALLED CAISSON DISEASE, NOW KNOWN AS THE BENDS. THE MOST PROMINENT TO SUFFER FROM IT IS WASHINGTON ROEBLING. Manbeck: THIS HAD NOT AFFECTED HIS INTELLIGENCE, BUT IT CERTAINLY DID AFFECT HIS MOBILITY. Kaler: SO, ALTHOUGH IT'S A FACT THAT ROEBLING OVERSEES THE MAMMOTH PROJECT, DUE TO A LIMITED ABILITY TO WALK, HE NEVER VISITS THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE DURING THE FINAL 12 YEARS OF ITS CONSTRUCTION. Mann: HE FOUND A HOUSE IN BROOKLYN HEIGHTS WITH A BEDROOM THAT OVERLOOKED THE BRIDGE, AND HE LAY IN BED -- NEVER LEFT HIS BEDROOM. AND HE HAD A TELESCOPE, AND HE SUPERVISED THE WORK FROM THERE. Kaler: BUT ROEBLING'S LONG-DISTANCE MANAGEMENT OF THE PROJECT ONLY WORKS BECAUSE OF A FACT UNKNOWN TO MANY THEN AND NOW. HIS WIFE EMILY BECOMES HIS EYES AND EARS. WITH HIS HELP, SHE DEVELOPS AN EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF BRIDGE ENGINEERING AND OVERSEES HIS CREWMEN, CONVEYING HIS INSTRUCTIONS. Mann: SHE SOMEHOW MANAGED TO COMMAND THE RESPECT THAT SHE NEEDED AMONG ALL THESE ASSISTANT ENGINEERS ON THE BRIDGE SO THAT THEY WOULD LISTEN TO HER AND TAKE HER SERIOUSLY AND DO WHAT SHE SAID WASHINGTON WANTED DONE. Manbeck: THE SITUATION, OF COURSE, OF HAVING A WOMAN, WHEN WOMEN HAD VERY FEW RIGHTS, DICTATING TO MEN ENGINEERS, WHO CERTAINLY WERE EDUCATED IN THIS FIELD, WAS PHENOMENAL. Kaler: HERE'S SOMETHING EVEN MORE REMARKABLE. THE ONE DETAIL ABOUT THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE YOU'D SWEAR IS A FACT -- THAT BOTH ITS TOWERS REST ON BEDROCK -- IS ACTUALLY FICTION. IT'S TRUE ONLY FOR THE TOWER ON THE BROOKLYN SIDE OF THE RIVER. THERE, THE BEDROCK IS JUST 44 FEET BELOW THE WATER'S SURFACE. NO SUCH LUCK FOR THE NEW YORK SIDE, AS ROEBLING'S WORKERS DISCOVERED. Mann: THEY DUG, AND THEY DUG, AND THEY WEREN'T FINDING BEDROCK. AND PEOPLE WERE STARTING TO ACTUALLY DIE OF THE CAISSONS DISEASE, OF THE BENDS. IT WAS REALLY BECOMING A VERY TENSE SITUATION. Kaler: SEEKING A SOLUTION, ROEBLING STUDIES FOSSILS COLLECTED FROM THE SOIL BENEATH THE DESCENDING TOWER. THE EVIDENCE TELLS HIM THAT THE SEDIMENT HASN'T SHIFTED THERE IN MILLIONS OF YEARS. IT SEEMED THE BOTTOM ON WHICH THE TOWER NOW RESTED WOULD BE STABLE ENOUGH TO HOLD IT WITHOUT GOING DOWN TO THE BEDROCK. HE FELT THAT IF HE DID CONTINUE, HE WOULD HAVE LOST HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE, AND IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN AT LEAST ANOTHER 10 YEARS TO REACH BEDROCK ON THE MANHATTAN SIDE. SO, HE TOOK A CHANCE, BUT HE WAS SURE THAT WHAT HIS EVALUATION WAS WAS ACCURATE. Kaler: THROUGH EMILY, HE ORDERS HIS BELEAGUERED WORKERS TO STOP DIGGING AT 78 FEET, 30 FEET SHORT OF THE BEDROCK. SO, THE STUNNING FACT IS THAT, TO DO THIS DAY, THE NEW YORK TOWER OF THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE RESTS NOT ON BEDROCK BUT SAND. AND SO FAR, SO GOOD. IT'S STILL THERE. IT HASN'T MOVED AN INCH. Kaler: THERE'S ONE MORE AMAZING FACT ABOUT THE BRIDGE'S CONSTRUCTION THAT SOUNDS LIKE FICTION. AND THERE'S ONE DEVIOUS MONEYGRUBBER THAT WE CAN THANK FOR IT. IF YOU THINK THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE IS A PIECE OF WORK, WAIT TILL YOU GET A LOAD OF THIS CHARACTER. IN THE 19th CENTURY, BRIDGES DID ONE THING WITH SPECTACULAR CONSISTENCY. THEY COLLAPSED. ONE OUT OF EVERY FOUR INTO STREAMS, INTO CANYONS, INTO THE OCEAN. A LOT OF PEOPLE IN BROOKLYN AND NEW YORK WERE JUST WAITING FOR ROEBLING'S STEEL MONSTER TO PLUNGE INTO THE DRINK, TOO. AND ON ONE FATEFUL DAY, SOONER THAN ANYONE EXPECTED, IT SEEMED LIKE THEY WERE GONNA BE PROVEN RIGHT. THE GLOOM-AND-DOOM PREDICTIONS SOUND PRETTY SILLY TODAY CONSIDERING THE BRIDGE HAS BEEN A ROCK-SOLID FIXTURE OF NEW YORK FOR 130 YEARS. WE ASSUME THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S MADE OF ONLY THE FINEST MATERIALS AVAILABLE AT THE TIME. SORRY. UNTRUE. THE UNSETTLING FACT IS THAT THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE'S MASSIVE CABLES CONTAIN 221 TONS OF DEFECTIVE STEEL WIRE. THE RESPONSIBLE PARTY IS A SLICK BROOKLYN BUSINESSMAN NAMED J. LLOYD HAIGH, WHO WINS THE CONTRACT TO MAKE THE BRIDGE'S STEEL. Mann: JUST A SLIPPERY SORT OF CHARACTER, BUT CHARMING ENOUGH TO REALLY PERSUADE PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, HE WAS GONNA DO A GOOD JOB ON MANUFACTURING THE WIRE AT A GOOD PRICE. Kaler: BUT HAIGH IS OUT TO GET RICH BY CUTTING CORNERS. THE STEEL WIRE HE PRODUCES IS TOO BRITTLE AND BREAKS EASILY, BUT HE'S COOKED UP A WAY TO FOOL WASHINGTON ROEBLING'S TEAM. Mann: HAIGH GOT THE CONTRACT BASED ON SOME WIRE SAMPLES THAT HE HAD HAD ANOTHER COMPANY MANUFACTURE AND SOMEHOW MANAGED TO MANUFACTURE ENOUGH GOOD WIRE THAT HE WAS ABLE TO PASS THE INSPECTION THAT WAS VERY INSISTED UPON BY ROEBLING. Kaler: OF COURSE, HAIGH MAKES SURE HARDLY ANY OF THE APPROVED WIRES MAKES IT TO THE BRIDGE. Mann: HAIGH WORKED OUT A WAY TO HAVE THE WAGON FULL OF INSPECTED WIRE TAKE A DETOUR ON THE WAY TO THE BRIDGE, MOVE INTO ANOTHER WAREHOUSE, BE QUICKLY UNLOADED AND RELOADED WITH DEFECTIVE WIRE, WHICH HE WOULD THEN TAKE TO THE BRIDGE. THE GOOD WIRE WAS TAKEN BACK TO BE REINSPECTED ON THE NEXT WAGONLOAD. Manbeck: SO, THEREFORE, THE INFERIOR WIRE WAS PUT INTO THE BRIDGE, AND ONLY AFTER IT HAD BEEN PUT INTO A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF THE CABLES DID ANYBODY DISCOVER IT. Kaler: WHEN ROEBLING LEARNS THAT 221 TONS OF HAIGH'S BRITTLE WIRE IS NOW AN INTEGRAL PART OF HIS BELOVED BRIDGE, HE'S FURIOUS. IT FORCES HIM TO MAKE ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT DECISIONS OF HIS CAREER. Manbeck: IT WOULD BE TOO EXPENSIVE AND TOO COSTLY AND TOO LONG TO REMOVE ALL THAT WIRE, SO HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO KEEP IT AND PUT EXTRA-STRONG GOOD WIRE INTO THE BRIDGE. Mann: HE ADDED 150 WIRES TO EACH CABLE TO SORT OF FURTHER SUPPLEMENT THE STRENGTH TO MAKE SURE IT WAS REALLY, REALLY STRONG. Kaler: THE BRIDGE'S TRUSTEES COVER UP THE ENTIRE SCANDAL, AND NEW YORKERS OF THE ERA NEVER LEARN OF THEIR BRIDGE'S INHERENT FLAW. BUT ROEBLING STILL HAS SUPREME CONFIDENCE IN THE INTEGRITY OF HIS MASTERWORK. HIS FATHER HAD DESIGNED THE BRIDGE TO BE SIX TIMES STRONGER THAN IT HAD TO BE. THE FAULTY WIRE HAD ONLY REDUCED THAT TO FIVE TIMES. DESPITE THE COVER-UP, THE PUBLIC IS STILL LEERY OF WHAT IS NOW THE WORLD'S LONGEST SUSPENSION BRIDGE, 50% LONGER THAN ANY PREVIOUSLY BUILT. Manbeck: EVEN THE NEW YORK TIMES SAID, "THIS BRIDGE WILL NEVER BE FINISHED. IT'S GOING TO COLLAPSE." SO, YOU HAD OFFICIAL WORD FROM THE MEDIA THAT IT WAS AN UNSAFE VENTURE. Kaler: YET, MORE THAN A CENTURY LATER, THE GREAT BRIDGE WITHSTANDS ITS MOST CRUCIAL TEST. SEPTEMBER 11, 2001. FOR HOURS, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEDESTRIANS POUR ACROSS IT, THEIR ESCAPE ROUTE FROM GROUND ZERO IN MANHATTAN. Manbeck: THERE WAS MORE WEIGHT FROM ALL THOSE HUMAN BEINGS THAN HAD EVER BEEN ON THAT BRIDGE AT ANY TIME, AND IT STILL PROVED ITSELF SAFE. Kaler: IT'S THE ULTIMATE VALIDATION OF THE HARD WORK AND DEVOTION OF JOHN, WASHINGTON, AND EMILY ROEBLING. THEIR BRIDGE CONTINUES TO DEFY THE FICTION THAT IT COULD NEVER LAST AND ENDURES AS A SYMBOL OF AMERICA'S STRENGTH. IF THIS 6,000-FOOT-LONG BRIDGE CAN BE SO SHROUDED IN MISCONCEPTIONS, WHAT ABOUT OUR MOST BELOVED HIGHWAY? STRETCHING NEARLY 2,500 MILES, IT'S BEEN THE STUFF OF MYTHIC ROAD TRIPS FOR ALMOST 90 YEARS. IF ONE GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL HAD GOTTEN HIS WAY, AMERICA WOULD HAVE GOTTEN ITS KICKS ON ROUTE...60? IN 1946, AN ASPIRING COMPOSER AND ACTOR NAMED BOBBY TROUP WAS CRUISING ALONG ROUTE 66 ON A CROSS-COUNTRY TRIP TO L.A. TO KILL TIME, HE STARTED KICKING AROUND A NEW TUNE IN HIS HEAD AND WOUND UP CREATING ONE OF AMERICA'S CLASSIC ROAD SONGS. WHEN TROUP ROLLED INTO LOS ANGELES, HE PRESENTED "(GET YOUR KICKS) ON ROUTE 66" TO NAT KING COLE, WHO MADE IT AN INSTANT HIT AND THE PERFECT TUNE TO GROOVE TO ON AMERICA'S MOTHER OF ALL ROADS. Rice: ROUTE 66 IS KNOWN AS A ROAD OF ADVENTURE, A ROAD FOR THE FREE SPIRIT, THE INDEPENDENT THINKER, THE REBEL. Bowen: IT'S THIS IDEA OF COMMUNITY AND PERSONALITY AND CULTURE THAT YOU DON'T GET WHEN YOU TRAVEL THE INTERSTATES, WHEN YOU'RE STAYING AT CHAIN MOTELS AND EATING AT CHAIN RESTAURANTS. Rice: THAT'S WHY YOU FIND THE GIGANTIC DINOSAUR ALONG THE ROAD AND THE TEPEES THAT YOU CAN SPEND THE NIGHT IN. IT GAVE THE SPICE TO THE U.S.A. Kaler: THE STORY OF ROUTE 66 THAT'S BEEN PASSED DOWN TO US GOES LIKE THIS. IN THE 1920s AND '30s, IT'S BUILT AS AMERICA'S FIRST TRANSCONTINENTAL HIGHWAY, A COAST-TO-COAST VACATION ROUTE DOTTED WITH KITSCHY MOTELS, GAS STATIONS, AND SOUVENIR SHOPS. FOR DECADES, ROUTE 66 BRINGS MILLIONS OF MOTORISTS WEST TO A BREATHTAKING FINISH, THE PACIFIC OCEAN ON THE SANTA MONICA PIER IN CALIFORNIA. BUT BY THE 1980s, THE COMPLETION OF THE INTERSTATE FREEWAY SYSTEM MAKES IT OBSOLETE. THE ASPHALT STRIP OF PURE AMERICANA FALLS INTO DISREPAIR, AND TODAY, DRIVER'S CAN NAVIGATE ONLY A FRACTION OF ITS FORMER GLORY. THE TRUTH TAKES A HARD LEFT AT ALBUQUERQUE, STARTING WITH THE ERRONEOUS IDEA THAT ROUTE 66 IS THE FIRST ROAD TO GO COAST-TO-COAST. Piotrowski: IN FACT, THE FIRST TRANSCONTINENTAL HIGHWAY PREDATES ROUTE 66. IT WAS THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY, WHICH WENT FROM NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO AND WAS OFFICIALLY FORMED AND FOUNDED IN 1913. Kaler: TO TOP IT OFF, IT DOESN'T GO COAST TO COAST AT ALL. IT'S BEEN CALLED THE GREAT DIAGONAL WAY BECAUSE INSTEAD OF BEING A NORTH-SOUTH ROUTE OR AN EAST-WEST ROUTE, IT RAN DIAGONALLY ACROSS THE COUNTRY FROM THE MIDWEST TO THE SOUTHWEST. Kaler: NEXT, WE COME TO ONE OF THE MOST PERVASIVE MYTHS ABOUT ROUTE 66 -- THAT IT'S THE RESULT OF A MASSIVE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT. A LOT OF THE ROADS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, INCLUDING ROUTE 66, WERE BUILT ORIGINALLY FROM INDIAN TRAILS, AND THE INDIAN TRAILS THEN WOULD BECOME TRADE ROUTES. FROM THE TRADE ROUTES, YOU WOULD HAVE HAD THE RAILROADS GOING IN VERY CLOSE BY. AND THE ORGANIZATION JUST GOT TOGETHER AND SAID, "OKAY, THESE ARE THE PRE-EXISTING ROADS THAT ARE GONNA BECOME ROUTE 66." Kaler: AND HOW ABOUT THIS STUNNER? ROUTE 66 WAS ALMOST CALLED SOMETHING ELSE. [ SIGN CLANKS ] AS THE HIGHWAY IS BEING PLANNED IN THE 1920s, 60 IS THE DESIRED NUMBER OF CYRUS AVERY, AN OKLAHOMA HIGHWAY COMMISSIONER NOW HAILED AS THE FATHER OF ROUTE 66. BUT A LOT OF OTHER FEDERAL HIGHWAYS ARE ALSO BEING PLANNED, AND THOSE OFFICIALS ALSO COVET THE NUMBER 60. IN A BITTER WAR BETWEEN BUREAUCRATS, AVERY IS FORCED TO PICK A DIFFERENT NUMBER. THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT 62 OR 64. AND SOMEBODY IN THE GROUP SAID, "HEY, THERE'S NO ROUTE 66 ON HERE YET. "THAT HAS A REALLY GOOD RING TO IT. LET'S GO AHEAD AND USE THAT NUMBER INSTEAD." HE ACTUALLY ENDED UP JUST LOVING THE SOUND OF THOSE DOUBLE 6s, AND I THINK IT WAS A GREAT MOVE. Kaler: JUST ONE PROBLEM -- AVERY HAS ALREADY POSTED "HIGHWAY 60" SIGNS ALONG THE STRETCH THAT PASSES THROUGH HIS HOME STATE OF OKLAHOMA. Piotrowski: SO, AT THE LAST MINUTE, AFTER SOME MAPS HAD ALREADY BEEN PRINTED THAT SHOWED "U.S. 60" CONNECTING CHICAGO AND L.A., THE CHANGE WAS MADE AND THE HIGHWAY WAS GIVEN THE NUMBER ROUTE 66. Kaler: MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT ROUTE 66 IS THAT SOME OF THE FACTS BEHIND IT ARE SO CRAZY THAT THEY SOUND LIKE FICTIONS. LIKE WOULD YOU BELIEVE THAT THERE'S ONE SPECIAL SPOT IN AMERICA WHERE YOU CAN STAND AT THE CORNER OF ROUTE 66 AND ROUTE 66? IN 1962, "ROUTE 66," THE TV SHOW, PREMIERED ON CBS. MARTIN MILNER AND GEORGE MAHARIS PLAYED A COUPLE OF FREE SPIRITS WHO FOUND ADVENTURE ON THE OPEN ROAD IN THEIR BABY-BLUE CORVETTE. OW! THE CAST AND CREW FILMED THE HIP SERIES ON LOCATION IN 23 STATES, BUT THE WEIRD THING IS THAT, OF THE 116 EPISODES THEY MADE, ONLY TWO WERE ACTUALLY SHOT ON ROUTE 66. THAT'S HOLLYWOOD. [ CUTOUT CREAKS, BANGS ] [ TIRES SQUEAL ] ANOTHER STATISTIC ABOUT ROUTE 66, THE HIGHWAY, NOT THE SHOW, IS THAT IT'S OFFICIAL LENGTH IS 2,448 MILES. ACTUALLY, THAT'S JUST A ROUGH APPROXIMATION SINCE ITS ACTUAL LENGTH IS ALWAYS CHANGING. Bowen: EVERYONE SEEMS TO ASSIGN A SPECIFIC NUMBER OF MILES TO THE LENGTH OF THE ROAD. AND IT'S REALLY HARD TO SAY FOR SURE WHAT IT IS BECAUSE YOU HAD SO MANY DIFFERENT CHANGING ALIGNMENTS. Kaler: ROAD COMMISSIONERS ARE CONSTANTLY SHIFTING ROUTE 66's PATH, MAINLY IN URBAN AREAS, TRYING TO RELIEVE GRIDLOCK. Bowen: THERE WAS SO MUCH TRAFFIC, PARTICULARLY BETWEEN CHICAGO AND ST. LOUIS, THAT YOU WOULD HAVE THE TOWN CENTERS COMPLETELY CHOKED. THE HIGHWAY WOULD BE REROUTED FROM, SAY, THE MAIN STREET THROUGH TOWN TO A FOUR-LANE STREET THAT RAN AROUND THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE TOWN SO THE TRAFFIC COULD GET FROM "A" TO "B" FASTER. Kaler: YOUR BRAIN COULD BLOW A GASKET TRYING TO TRACE THIS ROAD ON A MAP TODAY. YOU'LL SEE PARALLEL ROADS ALL BEARING "HISTORIC ROUTE 66" MARKERS. AND ONE REALIGNMENT IN DOWNTOWN ALBUQUERQUE, MADE IN 1937, CAUSED THE HIGHWAY TO ACTUALLY CROSS OVER ITSELF. SO, IN ALBUQUERQUE, IF YOU'RE AT 4th AND CENTRAL, YOU'RE STANDING AT THE CORNER OF ROUTE 66 AND ROUTE 66. AND YOU NEVER WOULD HAVE ACTUALLY HAD THAT INTERSECTION WHEN 66 WAS THE HIGHWAY, BUT TODAY, WHEN IT'S A DECOMMISSIONED HIGHWAY, IT DOES CROSS ITSELF RIGHT THERE. Kaler: SO, WHAT ABOUT THE ROUTE'S FAMOUS FINISH LINE AT THE SANTA MONICA PIER? DON'T BELIEVE IT. THE REAL END POINT HAS SHIFTED ENOUGH TO WARRANT A MOVING VIOLATION. IN 1926, THE ORIGINAL ENDING OF ROUTE 66 WAS DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES AT THE INTERSECTION OF BROADWAY AND 7th. EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 1936, IT WAS AGREED TO EXTEND THE ROAD TO SANTA MONICA. UNFORTUNATELY, IT DIDN'T GO TO THE SANTA MONICA PIER. THE EXTENSION TOOK IT TO AN INTERSECTION OF LINCOLN AND OLYMPIC BOULEVARDS IN SANTA MONICA, ABOUT 10 BLOCKS AWAY FROM THE PIER. A VERY BLAND, BORING INTERSECTION TODAY, BUT STILL THE WESTERNMOST TERMINUS OF THE HIGHWAY. Kaler: AND WHAT ABOUT THE END OF THE ACCEPTED STORY OF ROUTE 66, THAT TODAY THE OBSOLETE HIGHWAY HAS ALL BUT VANISHED? NOT EVEN CLOSE. NEARLY ALL OF THE ORIGINAL ROADS THAT MADE UP THE OLD ROUTE ARE STILL OUT THERE AND IN GOOD SHAPE. Piotrowski: IT'S BEEN DETERMINED THAT OVER 90% OF THE HIGHWAY FROM CHICAGO TO L.A. IS STILL DRIVABLE TODAY IN AN EVERYDAY AUTOMOBILE. Kaler: EVEN SOME OF THE OLD SERVICE STATIONS AND KITSCHIEST TOURIST STOPS ARE OUT THERE, TOO, BECKONING US ALL ON A ROAD TRIP INTO THE PAST. Piotrowski: WHAT ROUTE 66 IS NOW IS A CHANCE TO LOOK BACK AT AMERICAN HISTORY AND SEE WHAT AMERICA IS ALL ABOUT AND TAKE A JOURNEY THAT TAKES YOU BACK IN TIME AND REALLY MAKES YOU WANT TO SEE AMERICA. YOU REALLY START TO FIND AMERICA AND WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT BY GETTING OFF THE INTERSTATE AND TAKING THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED. Kaler: THE REAL STORY ABOUT ROUTE 66 MAY HAVE TAKEN A MAJOR DETOUR, BUT THE FICTIONS AND FOLKLORE GIVE IT A MYSTIQUE ALL ITS OWN. SOMETIMES, IT'S A LONG JOURNEY TO THE FACTS BECAUSE THE ROAD TO THE TRUTH IS ALWAYS UNDER CONSTRUCTION.