In 1922, a new nine-foot-wide roadway was completed between Miami and Afton, Oklahoma, at a time when no standards existed and few roads were paved, and its width was not unusual for the era. It had a concrete base and edges with a surface of rock asphalt. In 1926, the road became part of U.S. 66. Route 66 was paved piecemeal from 1926 to 1937, and because the Miami-to-Afton section was already paved, it became the last segment upgraded to the standards established in 1930. It was also realigned and included a new bridge on the Neosho River. On September 13, 1937, the opening of the bridge completed the last segment of Route 66 paving in Oklahoma. The Sidewalk Highway thus became one of the early stretches of Mother Road paving to be bypassed and today is the only Route 66 roadway of its type in existence.
