Bankhead Highway in Collin County

Duane's take

The way I tell it, I'm going by what the official marker has to say, right here in Collin County. Now settle in, because this road has got a story older than the asphalt under your wheels. They called it the Broadway of America.

That's not bragging, that's the name. The Bankhead Highway, born out of the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916, stretched all the way from Washington, D.C., to San Diego, California, winding through eastern and southern states like it had all the time in the world and every intention of seeing it. One road, coast to coast, back when that kind of thing was still something people dreamed about out loud.

In Texas, the Bankhead wasn't finished until the nineteen-twenties, and here's the part that ought to give you a little shiver: it's still in use today. Crosses approximately eight hundred and fifty miles of Texas soil. You could call it State Highway 1, because historically, that's exactly what it was called.

And the road it followed wasn't born with the automobile. The Bankhead traces segments of roads and trails that go all the way back to the Spanish colonial era, through the Republic of Texas days, right on up through statehood. Layers of history, one on top of the other, right beneath your tires.

Now between Greenville and Rockwall, the Bankhead goes by State Highway 66, and that includes the stretch right through Collin County where you find yourself today. In Royse City, the highway didn't just pass through town. It became Main Street.

And when a road becomes Main Street, well, a town tends to build itself around that fact. Auto repair garages, gas stations, diners and cafes, tourist camps and courts, motels, hotels, highway markers. The commercial downtown grew up right along that road, one storefront at a time.

Many communities along the Bankhead can trace their development directly to this highway, commerce and growth rolling along steady through the nineteen-fifties. Then came the automobiles, more and more of them, moving faster, demanding wider lanes and safer corridors, and the interstate systems rose up to answer. The Bankhead's golden era gave way to bigger roads.

But here's the thing about a road that calls itself the Broadway of America. It doesn't disappear. It just plays a different role.

As one of the most important transportation corridors in the state's history, the Bankhead Highway shaped the economic vitality of Texas and the whole region. Spanish traders, Republic-era travelers, Model T tourists, mid-century road-trippers. They all walked, rode, or drove the same ground.

And if you're on Highway 66 through Collin County right now, so are you.

What the marker says

Known as the Broadway of America and one of the nation's earliest transcontinental highways, the Bankhead highway was created through the federal aid road act of 1916. The roadway extended from Washington, D.C., to San Diego, California, by way of eastern and southern states. In Texas, the Bankhead highway was completed in the 1920s and is still used today. Crossing approximately 850 miles in the state, the Bankhead, also known historically as State Highway 1, provided an engineered roadway for local and regional traffic and promoted tourism. The Bankhead includes segments of roads and trails forged during Spanish colonial, Republic of Texas and statehood eras. Between Greenville and Rockwall, the Bankhead is now known as state highway 66, including the section through Collin county. The highway became main street in Royse City, and the commercial downtown area developed along the road. Commercial resources included auto repair garages, gas stations, diners and cafes, tourist camps and courts, motels and hotels, and highway markers. Many communities along the Bankhead can attribute their development to this historic highway, supporting commerce and growth through the 1950s. The exponential growth of automobile traffic led to wider, safer and faster interstate systems. As one of the most important transportation corridors in the state's history, the Bankhead highway played a critical role in the economic vitality of the state and the region.