The Great New Mexico Shortcut: A Tale of Spite, Snow, and the Mother Road’s 100th Birthday

If US Route 66 is turning 100 years old, how did the highway end up running through Moriarty, Edgewood and the East Mountains area in 1937? The answer is one man’s pettiness and it’s how our area got onto the Route 66 map.

The heart of Route 66’s story in New Mexico lies in the wild tale of Arthur T. Hannett—a governor whose determination and stubbornness literally redrew the Mother Road.
This twist in the road’s design is rooted in a tale driven by rivalry and urgency—a political grudge racing a New Year’s Eve deadline.

The “S” Stands for “Seriously?!”
In 1926, when Route 66 was first born, it didn’t just “cross” New Mexico—it toured it. The original path was a winding, 500-mile “S-Curve” that meandered through the mountains like a lost tourist.

It dragged travelers up to the high desert of Santa Fe and then forced them down La Bajada Hill. Back then, La Bajada wasn’t a highway; it was a volcanic cliffside with 23 hairpin turns. It was so steep that Model Ts—which relied on gravity to get gas to the engine—frequently stalled. Drivers had to reverse up the cliff just to keep the fuel flowing. If you weren’t brave enough to drive backward over a precipice, local cowboys were happy to tow you up with a team of horses for a hefty fee.
This setup suited the “Santa Fe Ring”—the capital’s political elite—perfectly. Trapped travelers meant more business for them, reinforcing their grip on the route.

Enter Governor “Mad Art” Hannett
Governor Arthur T. Hannett was a man who didn’t like the Santa Fe Ring. When he lost his 1926 reelection bid—convinced the Ring had “stolen” the vote—he decided that if he couldn’t be Governor, the people who beat him wouldn’t have a highway.
With only 31 days left in his term, Hannett did the unthinkable. He grabbed a ruler, drew a perfectly straight line from Santa Rosa to Moriarty on a map, and told his road crews: “Build it. Now.”
The Midnight Race Against the Clock
The “Retribution Road” was built in a fever dream. Crews worked 24/7 through a freezing December.
• Sabotage: Political rivals poured sugar in the tractor tanks; Hannett sent out armed guards.
• Land Grabs: He didn’t wait for permits; he just bulldozed through ranch fences. There were no lawsuits filed, which might have been due to the fact landowners liked and needed a better highway to the big city.
• The Finish Line: On New Year’s Eve, a massive blizzard hit. The new Governor-elect sent a messenger to stop the work, but the messenger got stuck in the snow.
By the time the new administration took over on January 1st, the “Retribution Road” was effectively complete. Hannett had shaved 100 miles off the trip across New Mexico, bypassing Santa Fe entirely and leaving the “Ring” in the dust.

One Road, Two Paths
By 1937, Hannett’s spite-fueled shortcut became the official Route 66. This created a geographical miracle in Albuquerque: The Intersection Where the Road Crosses Itself.
At the corner of 4th and Central in downtown Albuquerque, the 1926 North-South Road meets the 1937 East-West Road. It is the only place in the world where you can stand on Route 66 and look at Route 66 in four different directions.
The “Bugs Bunny” Connection:

This famous intersection is often cited as the place where Bugs Bunny should have “taken that left turn at Albuquerque.” If he were on the 1937 route (Central Ave) and wanted to get on the 1926 route to go north to Santa Fe, he literally would have had to take a left turn at this exact spot
100 Years of Open Road
As we hit the 100-year mark, the “Retribution Road” isn’t just a shortcut; it’s a monument to New Mexican grit (and a little bit of healthy pettiness). Whether you choose the slow, scenic “S-Curve” through the mountain vistas of Santa Fe or the straight shot through the heart of the desert, you’re driving on a piece of history that refused to stay in the lines.
So, this year, when you’re cruising past the neon, give a little nod to Governor Hannett. He might have been a sore loser, but he gave us one of the best road trips in America.