Route 66 could be getting a major upgrade, turning the once highly travel vacation route into a solar-powered, glowing superhighway.
The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has announced plans to upgrade a small stretch of the historic roadway, which originally stretched from Chicago to California.
The project is in partnership with Solar Roadways, the creators of specially-engineered, solar-powered panels which can support the weight of cars. The octagon-shaped panels feature built-in LEDs to create light-up road markings and can be used to generate electricity to donate back to the grid.
While Solar Roadways has won a number of contracts with the US Department of Transport, don't expect a quick transition to fully solar-powered roads. MoDOT said it hopes to lay the first panels, starting with the Historic Route 66 Welcome Center, by the end of the year.
If it all works out, plans could open the way for plenty more solar roads into the future, letting you get your kicks on Route 66 in futuristic, Tron-like style!
For a little more background on Solar Roadways, here is a video one of the founders originally created when they first started out!