Solar panels along the historic Route 66—the Mother Road— are coming, at least in the state of Missouri according to a re port by NBC News.
Missouri’s Transportation Department says it will test a new type of pavement that also will help generate electricity through built-in solar panels.
A company named Solar Roadways based in Idaho came up with the idea. The firm developed a hexagonal block of 4.4 square feet made of tempered glass strong enough to stand up to even heavy truck traffic.
Missouri hopes to have the solar panel system operational by winter. The state says the glass pavement will replace most of the sidewalks at the Route 66 Welcome Center and Museum in Conway, Missouri. The estimated cost of building the solar-panel sidewalk is $100,000.
