An Underground Crossing

An Underground Crossing. Ladd School Subway. , Civic leaders welcomed Route 66 through Pontiac in 1926 as a boon for business. However, parents were concerned about their children crossing this "dangerous speedway.' As a solution, the State Highway Commission excavated a tunnel under the road. Students crossed beneath the busy road to reach school until 1945, when a new Route 66 alignment bypassed the city., Ladd School Petition, Routes 4 and 66 were rerouted to Ladd Street in 1926, bringing speeding traffic past Ladd School (located at the present site of the First Baptist Church). Concerned parents signed a petition and demanded a center island "Refuge for Safety" be constructed in front of the school. , Serving Travelers, The Indian Inn on the corner of Ladd and Livingston (near here) offered travelers food, fuel, and lodging., Explore a Subway, This photo shows students using a subway in Odell, Illinois under Route 66. Today, visitors can stop by and see a partial restoration of the steps., (side quote:), "We believe this situation should be remedied as far as possible and this menace to the safety and lives of our people, especially our school children, reduced to a minimum…" , October 1926 Petition to Pontiac City Council, (photo caption:), Instead of a center island, the State Highway Commission constructed a safer "subway" under the road. When traffic was diverted to a new Route 66 alignment in 1945, the tunnel entrances were sealed.