BAXTER SPRINGS, Kansas -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it will pay for environmental cleanups at some gas stations along Route 66 in Missouri and Kansas as part of a pilot program, the Associated Press reported.
The agency said buried underground storage tanks (UST) at dozens of abandoned stations along the storied highway pose environmental risks, and restoration of the properties would repair the damage.
Regional EPA official David Doyle said a recent survey found 45 abandoned stations along Route 66 from [image-nocss] St. Louis to southeast Kansas. At a meeting in Galena, Kansas, federal, state and local officials and business owners discussed ways to restore the properties. Doyle said some federal money would be available for the projects, but he couldn't specify how much.
According to the EPA website, The goal of the Historic Highways Project is to remediate and reuse abandoned or underutilized former gas stations along the former Route 66 (Missouri and Kansas) and the former Lincoln Highway (Iowa and Nebraska). For three weeks this summer, 217 former gas stations were documented by driving the length of these highways. The next steps are to review this information and begin identifying those properties that are most likely to be reused.
Click here to view selected abandoned or underutilized stations along Route 66.
Meanwhile, the new Baxter Springs (Kansas) Heritage Center & Museum Visitors' Centera restored Phillips 66 station that serves as the Route 66 Visitors' Centerheld its grand opening earlier this month. That project was funded by the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program for the National Park Service.
Click here for details on the visitors' center.
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