Heading west, Route 66 helped determine Flagstaff's urban form by creating a long commercial corridor that provided travelers with motels, auto repair, gas, entertainment, and food. The buildings along Route 66 that remain today reflect consumer patterns influenced by travelers and locals during the Great Dust Bowl, Great Depression, World War II, and postwar prosperity. Entrepreneurs spurred growth along the corridor by vying to be the first- or last-chance business for people entering or leaving town. Like many cities and towns along Route 66, Flagstaff faced heavy traffic that challenged travelers and locals, leading portions of the road to be widened to four lanes in the 1950s and 1960s.