New sculpture stands over the Mother Road in Kansas

KDOT crews from Columbus, Pittsburg and Chanute post the 20-foot-tall
Route 66 sculpture at the K-66/U.S. 400 roundabout.



The Route 66 shield is a new landmark on the
13-mile section of the Kansas Mother Road.



The Route 66 information kiosk, shown here at its
dedication in 2014, is located west of
the roundabout.



The FFA students at Riverton High School wanted to work on a project that would help boost local economic development and tourism efforts. Chapter members decided their project would be a metal sculpture that would stand on Historic Route 66 in southeast Kansas.

This spring KDOT forces posted the FFA’s completed steel sculpture, which features the Route 66 shield, at the K-66/U.S. 400 roundabout west of Riverton. Travelers can park and rest at the Route 66 information kiosk just west of the roundabout. There they can check out the history and many attractions along the Mother Road, which winds through the Kansas communities of Galena, Riverton and Baxter Springs.

Sixteen FFA members welded the 20-foot-tall sculpture together piece by piece. The Route 66 Byway Committee and Cherokee County Commission provided financial support to the effort, and KDOT donated scrap steel beams that remained from previous bridge projects.

Members of the Riverton High School FFA pose in front of their masterwork
of welded metal components.