Modern Highways

Modern Highways. . , Cars completed the transportation revolution. Two lane roads like Route 66 and the Arrowhead Highway (road that Interstate 15 replaced) crossed the Mojave, and connected with a network of often dirt roads that gave motorized access to the desert. These two lane roads could be dangerous. Since then, much time, planning and resources have gone into making travel through the Mojave Desert a safe and enjoyable experience for motorists. , , photo captions: , Hotels like this one in Amboy, California were packed with travelers in the 1950's. When Interstate 40 between Needles and Barstow opened in 1973, business at Amboy dried up. , , "I had three big wreckers. We had an average of three wrecks a day. The roads weren't marked, and all the bridges was blind, so there were head-on collisions all the time. The bridge rails were made with eight-by-eight redwood; they'd run right through the radiator up the side of the motor, through the firewall, and through the driver - pin him right to his seat. We'd have to cut him out with a handsaw." , -Buster Burris, Roy's Café, Amboy