Route 66 National Historic Trail Designation Act
Key claim: This Senate bill would add the roughly 2,400-mile Route 66 corridor from Chicago to Santa Monica to the National Trails System, with Interior managing it as a historic trail and barred from seizing private land to do so.
Abstract
(S5170 · 117th Congress) Route 66 National Historic Trail Designation Act This bill amends the National Trails System Act to designate a trail of approximately 2,400 miles extending from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, as the Route 66 National Historic Trail. The trail shall be administered by the Department of the Interior in a manner that respects and maintains its idiosyncratic nature. Interior may not use eminent domain or condemnation in carrying out this bill. Latest action (2022-12-01): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Why this matters
National Historic Trail status is a heritage overlay that unlocks NPS coordination, signage, and interpretive support along the corridor without changing underlying land ownership or management. The explicit no-condemnation clause limits the federal footprint to willing landowners, so the practical effect is primarily on tourism and local preservation rather than on permitting or land-use restrictions.