Auburn Brick Road

It is a remarkable section of old Route 66 covering parts of Snell and Curran roads that illustrates the dedication of a local community to preserve a bit of history as it runs through their farm lands.

The photo above shows one of two 1920 bridges on the Brick Road. This bridge was originally built in 1920 and rebuilt in 2002. The single concrete span is 51.8 feet. The total length of the deck is 53.1 feet with a width of 20.3 feet..

The original alignment of Route 66 on this section was paved with Portland Cement. In 1932, two years after 66 was realigned to the east the bricks were laid on top of the original cement pavement. Follow the signs at Snell Rd which curves south onto Curran Road and back unto IL-4.

Just after you turn off IL-4 onto Snell Road you come to the driveway for Becky's Barn on the north side of the road.

There is another very short section of the old road about 1.5 miles north of Snell Rd on the west side of IL-4 on Alpha Rd. That section is about 1,200 feet long, but that may not include the small curved section at the intersection with IL-4. It runs from IL-4 to a point where the old road turned south. This section is the result of a 90 degree turn on IL-4 was smoothed out with a long "S" curve. Coming from Chatham Alpha Rd is just about in the middle of that long sweeping "S" curve.

Photo(s): 2012