Any diver in the southern Rocky Mountain region knows that Santa Rosa, NM, is a critical dive location, especially with the Blue Hole and Rock Lake. Anyone who has spent any time in Santa Rosa knows the city is not doing all that well financially. Once while driving from the eastern motel region to the Rock Lake turnoff, I counted 24 abandoned buildings, and that was just a cursory survey while driving by on the main road.
I just learned that Santa Rosa is one of many communities along the old Route 66 highway that has been eligible for millions of dollars in federal funds designed to help all those communities along that road that were impacted when the Interstate Highway system made that route obsolete for westward travel. Has Santa Rosa benefitted from that in the past? I don't know. Was it planning to apply for funding in the future? I don't know.
The legislation that made it all possible will expire soon, and the odds of it being extended under the current administration are slim to none. There is an effort to bring in more funding by designating Route 66 as a National Historic Trail, but that is unlikely as well under an administration that is cutting funding for such projects, especially in the west, in its current budget plans.
Losing Their Kicks? Funds For Route 66 Towns May Be At Risk
I just learned that Santa Rosa is one of many communities along the old Route 66 highway that has been eligible for millions of dollars in federal funds designed to help all those communities along that road that were impacted when the Interstate Highway system made that route obsolete for westward travel. Has Santa Rosa benefitted from that in the past? I don't know. Was it planning to apply for funding in the future? I don't know.
The legislation that made it all possible will expire soon, and the odds of it being extended under the current administration are slim to none. There is an effort to bring in more funding by designating Route 66 as a National Historic Trail, but that is unlikely as well under an administration that is cutting funding for such projects, especially in the west, in its current budget plans.
Losing Their Kicks? Funds For Route 66 Towns May Be At Risk
