Route 66, USA – As Route 66 celebrates its 100th birthday, the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership is awarding fourteen $2,500 Preservation & Economic Development (PED) Grants. Award recipients were selected from 124 submitted 2026 Route 66 PED Grant Program applications. Qualifying projects were reviewed by an independent Review Committee from across the eight Route 66 states resulting in the grant award recommendations.
Eligible activities included capital improvements, historic preservation planning or work, and accessibility or community outreach for businesses and attractions located on Route 66 that employ fewer than 20 full-time employees or are a small, locally owned franchise with five or fewer locations. Four grant awards in the PED program were designated/set aside for independent auto repair shops and mechanics along Route 66, funded by Bosch Wiper Blades. The four Bosch grant award recipients are Cranked Garage (IL), Atlas Automotive (OK), O’Brien Tire & Auto Care (IL) Downtown Service Station (MO).
“Bosch Wiper Blades is proud to partner with the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership during this historic centennial year to celebrate the independent automotive businesses that have been part of the journey for generations of Route 66 travelers,” said Scott Sullivan, Bosch Senior Marketing Team Lead. “The Bosch Road Ready Grant is designed to help preserve these businesses, enhance their visibility and breathe new life into the places along the Mother Road. We’re excited to support the projects already underway and those still ahead through this partnership.”
In Illinois, three projects will benefit from the PED Grants. O’Brien Automotive, in Granite City, will use their grant award to strengthen the building’s Route 66 identity and complement its retro design, creating a more welcoming gateway for travelers. In Atlanta, Cranked Garage, LLC intends to repaint and restore the exterior of their Route 66–facing auto repair workshop, and Giants Route 66 Stop will use their grant to replace the original solid wood door with a new glass, steel-framed, commercial door for the shop that sells Route 66 souvenirs, sodas, vintage candies, t-shirts, stickers, and more.
Two motels in Missouri will receive awards for use in energy efficient building improvements. They are the iconic Shamrock Court Motel in St. Peters and the Manor Inn on Route 66 in Lebanon. Also receiving a grant in the “Show Me State” is the last full-service gas/service station still in operation on Historic Route 66 from Chicago to the Santa Monica Pier in California, the Downtown Service Station in Waynesville.
Oklahoma will also benefit from grants to three of their Route 66 businesses. Gasoline Alley Classics, will restore and update the historic building’s south sign that directly faces travelers in Supulpa. Westfall Station in Chandler will modernize its outdated electrical infrastructure to safely open a new gift shop. The grant to Atlas Automotive Repair will help fund restoration of the original 1941-era gas station sign and shop exterior at 4625 E 11th St on Route 66 in Tulsa.
In New Mexico, grants will support restoration of the old neon sign at Pecos Trail Inn in Santa Fe and renovation of bathrooms that are up to city code and ADA compliant at Ricca Mercantile Community Arts Center in Gallup.
The El Pueblo Motor Inn in Flagstaff served as the founding home for the US Marines Navajo Code Talkers during WWII. The $2,500 PED grant will go toward a plan to purchase the motel and restore the building’s historic exterior, convert the interior to workforce housing, add additional housing at the rear of the property, and rebuild the office to serve as a museum and community space. Also in Arizona, the Ash Fork Route 66 Historic Museum will be awarded a grant to digitize Ash Fork’s irreplaceable photographs, oral histories, 1 newspapers, newsletters, and community archives to create a searchable digital collection that protects local heritage and expands access for residents, researchers, educators, Route 66 travelers, and future generations.
Additionally, a grant assists in replacing the deteriorated floor and roof of the existing washroom at Road Runner’s Retreat, in Simi Valley, California.
The PED Grant Program is an Official Route 66 Centennial Project as recommended by the Route 66 Centennial Commission. Future awards will be contingent on fundraising efforts for ongoing support of the Route 66 PED Grant Program that helps the millions of people who live, work, and travel the Mother Road.. One way the public may support this program is through the Great American Road Rally: Celebrity Edition fund raiser at https://www.route66roadahead.org/garr-2026.
Established in 2016, with the support of the National Park Service and the World Monuments Fund, The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership’s mission is to revitalize and sustain Route 66 as a national and international icon through partnerships focused on promotion, preservation, research and education, and economic development.
Contact:
Bill Thomas, Chairman Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership
[email protected]
(217) 314-9204
