Route 66 has more than its share of cities to see, but it also has something that’s strange, surprising, and unique: a stretch of highway that sings America’s most iconic tune. Route 66 has always been synonymous with American road trip culture, but one particular stretch in New Mexico offers drivers something truly extraordinary. Between Albuquerque and Tijeras, a quarter-mile section of the historic highway transforms into a musical instrument, playing America’s most iconic tune through specially engineered rumble strips.
The musical highway represents a fascinating intersection of transportation engineering and artistic expression. When drivers maintain precisely 45 miles per hour over the embedded metal plates, their vehicle’s tires create vibrations that produce the recognizable melody of “America the Beautiful.”
Unfortunately, the ravages of time haven’t been kind to this portion of Route 66, and here we’ll take a look at what was, what is, and what might be in the future.
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The Most Iconic American Tune, Composed Of Asphalt
Somewhere along Route 66.
The concept behind New Mexico’s singing road relies on fundamental principles of sound physics and precise mathematical calculations. Engineers positioned each rumble strip exactly 2.4 inches apart, ensuring that a vehicle traveling at 45 miles per hour would strike 330 strips per second, producing a clear E note.
The installation process involved embedding custom metal plates beneath the asphalt surface across 1,300 feet of eastbound Route 66. These plates work similarly to traditional rumble strips designed to alert drowsy drivers, but their precise spacing creates specific musical pitches rather than random vibrations.
New Mexico’s Musical Road
National Geographic funded the project as part of their “Crowd Control” television series, investigating whether the musical road could improve driver attention and reduce accidents. The theory suggested that maintaining the correct speed to hear America’s most iconic tune would naturally encourage drivers to focus on their speed and lane position.
A Unique Engineering Project
Even if a traveler only has three days to spend on Route 66, there’s still a lot to see, but chances are they won’t get all the way to the musical highway singing “America the Beautiful”. The engineering challenge required accounting for variables including tire width, vehicle weight, and suspension systems across different automobiles.
Engineers calibrated the system to work optimally with standard passenger vehicles, though larger trucks and motorcycles may produce slightly different tonal qualities. The eastbound-only design takes advantage of the slight downhill grade that helps drivers maintain consistent speeds.
Temperature fluctuations and road wear affect the musical quality over time, as thermal expansion alters the precise spacing between plates. Weather conditions also influence sound transmission, with dry conditions providing clearer tonal reproduction than wet surfaces that dampen vibrations.
It’s these conditions that have led to the musical highway becoming deteriorated. Highway upkeep and maintenance of infrastructure meant that, at some point, the “musical” part of the highway would have had to take a backseat to safety. America’s most iconic tune might no longer be something a traveler on Route 66 can experience.
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A Road That Matters, For More Than Just Its Music
The musical highway playing America’s most iconic tune isn’t just another piece of Americana. For Tijeras, New Mexico, it’s a source of pride and a pretty important tourist attraction.
A Deteriorating Piece of Americana
The musical highway’s condition has significantly deteriorated since its 2014 installation, with official signs removed in 2020 and maintenance halted by the New Mexico Department of Transportation. State officials declared the restoration cost “outrageous” and confirmed no plans exist to repair the deteriorating musical strips. Recent visitor reports describe only fragments of the original melody remaining audible, with much of the road surface paved over or worn down.
Despite the official abandonment, dedicated fans have created homemade signs to mark the musical section’s approximate location. The deterioration represents a lost opportunity for New Mexico tourism and Route 66’s legacy as America’s most celebrated highway.
- Population
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2.116 million (2021)
- Founded Date
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January 6, 1912
The Case for Restoration
Route 66 Musical Roads LLC has proposed installing musical highways in all eight Route 66 states as part of the road’s 2026 centennial celebration. This ambitious plan demonstrates renewed interest in musical road technology and its potential economic benefits for Route 66 communities.
Route 66 is not the only musical road in existence. Lancaster, California has a road that plays the William Tell Overture, and there are installations in Hungary, Denmark, and even in South Korea!
The original New Mexico installation proved that America’s most iconic tune could successfully engage drivers while promoting road safety. The combination of an iconic song like “America the Beautiful” and a historic drive like Route 66 has proven that there are still those more interested in the drive.
Perhaps that is why Route 66 was chosen to become the musical highway to begin with. After all, no one who is interested in getting to their destination as fast as possible is winding their way through the small towns and wide open spaces of Route 66. As one of those road trips where the journey is more scenic than the destination, what’s a little dance to “America the Beautiful” along the way?
While the deterioration of the musical part of the highway means drivers can’t currently experience the full sensory experience, the nostalgic factor of Route 66 makes it an excellent candidate for restoration.
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The Song The Highway Used To Sing
A view of the Old West in Monument Valley from the highway, Route 66, Arizona, AZ, USA
There used to be a time when drivers could speed up (or slow down) to 45 mph and hear America’s most iconic tune, but that’s no longer the case. Today, parts of the musical highway have been paved over and only those who know where the ridges are (or can follow the locals’ signs) will hear snatches of the song.
The deteriorating rumble strips serve as a melancholy reminder of how quickly we abandon the extraordinary in favor of the practical. We can only hope that the musical highway will, someday, make a return, once again humming that recognizable tune.
