Musical Highway
Old Route 66
Tijeras, New Mexico
Tuesday, May 29, 1918
Clear, 95°
“Not all those who wander are lost.” – J.R.R. Tolkien
There are two musical highways in the United States; two are in Japan, and one in S. Korea. I have searched out this unique spot to give you a little musical interlude while Traveling Life’s Highways.
Most rumble strips alert drivers they’ve strayed too close to the edge of the road with a loud, grating vibration. The grooved lines on a sleepy stretch of Route 66 near Tijeras, New Mexico have a different trick up their sleeve: They sing.
On this quarter-mile section of the highway, the rumble strips have been engineered to sound like the song “America the Beautiful.” But they won’t croon their patriotic tune for anyone with a lead foot. Drivers have to be going exactly 45 miles per hour (the speed limit) to hear the vibrations in action.
The “Musical Highway” was installed in 2014 as part of a partnership between the New Mexico Department of Transportation and the National Geographic Channel. It’s designed to encourage drivers on the otherwise unremarkable stretch of the historic road to slow down and adhere to the speed limit.
Getting the rumble strips to serenade travelers required a fair bit of engineering. The individual strips had to be placed at the precise distance from one another to produce the notes they needed to sing their now-signature song.
Video – “America the Beautiful”
People reacted favorably to the rumbling roadside concert. Some drivers even double back for a second shot at making the highway sing, if they somehow missed it on their first pass or found themselves traveling a bit too fast or slow.
(https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/musical-highway)
This stretch of Old Route 66 is just off Interstate 40 (Exit 170) in Tijeras, New Mexico. After exiting, drive east about 3.5 miles on Route 66/Hwy 333. Look for the Musical Road signs between mileposts 4 & 5, shortly after Route 66 crosses under I-40. To hear “America the Beautiful,” you must be in the eastbound lane and remember to stay at a constant speed of 45 mph to hit the grooves.
Enjoy the concert!