The City of Tulsa is tuning up its section of America's historic Mother Road with a $90,000 grant for a musical interlude. City of Tulsa scored the grant from the Oklahoma Route 66 Revitalization Grant Program, earmarking the funds to create Oklahoma's first musical road along Route 66.
The musical road concept involves a stretch of roadway that emits tuneful notes when vehicles cruise over it at the correct speed. Mayor Monroe Nichols celebrated the grant as a key to enriching Tulsa's Route 66 experience, "Their commitment has been vital to our Centennial preparations, and to strengthening Tulsa’s role as a key destination on Route 66," as stated by the City of Tulsa.
Imbued with local spirit, each musical road is a collaboration between engineering firm Route 66 Musical Roads LLC and the communities it passes through. According to a co-founder of the firm, "Music and driving have been perfect partners since the invention of the vehicle. To have multiple musical roads along U.S. Route 66, one in each state, is obvious to us," Chris Hill told the City of Tulsa. The Tulsa installation will celebrate an Oklahoma artist, with the specific song still to be decided and the permissions, and copyright procedures in progress.
The City of Tulsa plans to construct the musical road on the Southwest Boulevard Bridge, parallel to the historic Cyrus Avery Memorial Bridge, known for uniting East and West. Not far from landmarks like the Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza and a soon-to-come 66-foot dinosaur at Howard Park, the melodic road marks Tulsa's first "roadbed" attraction. "This is going to be a gamechanger for Tulsa!" exclaimed District 6 City Councilor Christian Bengel, nodding to the charm and pull such features offer.
Set to be fully installed in March 2026, the Tulsa musical road is set to serenade tourists and locals alike, syncing with the upcoming Route 66 Centennial. The national celebration aims to dedicate a musical road within each of the eight states that Route 66 traverses. Authored Route 66 historian and Federal Commissioner Michael Wallis expressed excitement about this unique addition: "I am absolutely thrilled by Tulsa’s selection for the state’s first musical road." The harmonious pavement is expected to be ready before the National Main Street Conference in April, according to the City of Tulsa officials.
