Route 66 was the first paved road to link the Midwest to the Pacific Coast. Prior to its construction in 1926, there had been no roadway on which anyone in a motor vehicle could easily travel cross-country. Route 66 represents the transition from the rural dirt road to the efficient modern super-highway. Although it is no longer a continuous roadway, its alignment from Chicago to Los Angeles is still about 200 miles shorter than present day super-highway routes.