Upland Threw Route 66 a Birthday Party at the Halfway Mark

On Saturday, October 3, Upland Memorial Park hosted a free afternoon of classic cars and food trucks, with a set by the Cherry Bomb Revival Band at 2:15. The City billed the event as a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the "Mother Road" and of "the much-anticipated reopening of Foothill Boulevard." Four months earlier, at a June 1 budget workshop, the City's capital projects presentation listed Foothill as a two-phase job. The first phase was under construction. The second, budgeted at $7.4 million and running from Benson Avenue to Central Avenue, was still in design.

So the reopening Upland just celebrated covers one chapter of a longer rebuild. The stretch with most of the old Route 66 roadside character is east of Euclid, outside the project area. The stretch the City plans to rebuild next leads west toward a closed restaurant site where a housing proposal is waiting. All three fit on one boulevard and in one month's calendar.

What the City Rebuilt, and What It Hasn't Started

The City's project page describes a $13.2 million rehabilitation of Foothill Boulevard from Benson Avenue to Euclid Avenue, scheduled from October 2025 to August 2026. The listed work goes well beyond repaving. It includes asphalt grinding and resurfacing, new water pipelines, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, driveway approaches, traffic signals, enhanced lighting, landscaping and bike lane improvements. The money came from several sources. San Bernardino County Supervisors Curt Hagman and Jesse Armendarez allocated $4 million in discretionary funds, and the rest came from Upland's water and sewer funds, gas tax, ARPA and RMRA.

The two City documents describe the first phase's limits differently. The project page says Benson to Euclid. The June budget deck says Benson to Redding. As of early October, the project page still shows the original October-to-August window, and the City has posted no closeout notice.

For anyone who spent the past year working around lane reductions and detours on Foothill, this means the rebuilt pavement probably won't be the last construction on the boulevard. The next phase sits on the western side, past Benson.

The Old Road Lives East of Euclid

The centennial is about Route 66, but most of the roadside history the centennial honors sits outside the rebuilt section. Drive Foothill from east to west and the history comes first, with the new work after it.

1. 1317 E. Foothill Blvd. has a neon sign that a Route 66 travel guide traces to Taka Taco in 1959 and to the Taco King name in 1975. The same guide says the Horta family owners retired in 2021, so the sign is the landmark here.
2. 1171 E. Foothill Blvd. was home to the Noble Inn. Columnist David Allen's 2009 post on The David Allen Blog, quoting a family member, says it started as a bakery in 1951 and became a restaurant in 1953. The original building has since been demolished.
3. 331 E. Foothill Blvd. is a former Union 76 station that has been put to a new use.
4. 100 E. Foothill Blvd. has a McDonald's with retro arches.
5. Foothill Boulevard and Euclid Avenue is home to the Madonna of the Trail monument, dedicated February 1, 1929. That makes it older than most of the businesses on either side of it.
6. 1013 W. Foothill Blvd. has a giant coffee-cup sign outside its Starbucks, one of the few roadside oddities west of Euclid.

The Madonna stands roughly where the two halves meet. East of the monument, Foothill's identity comes from what has survived. West of it, the boulevard is being rebuilt underground and at the curb, from water mains to signals. A 2025 update from Councilmember James Breitling on The Upland Update said the City planned Foothill-branded street signs and a Route 66 mural on the AT&T water tower. Watch for both along the corridor, since that update described them as plans.

A Stamp Card for the Rebuilt Boulevard

The City paired the centennial with a Route 66 Road Trip Challenge. Residents visit participating businesses along Foothill and collect a stamp on a Road Trip Map at each stop. Making a purchase earns an extra "Fuel Up" stamp for separate drawings. The challenge runs September 21 through October 16, and the City will announce winners October 19.

Cards are available at participating businesses and at four City locations. The Gibson Senior Center at 250 North 3rd Avenue is open weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Magnolia Recreation Center at 651 West 15th Street, the Landecena Community Building at 1325 San Bernardino Road and Upland City Hall at 460 North Euclid Avenue are all open Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The City's page doesn't list which businesses are participating, so the card itself is the easiest way to find out.

One of the newest stops on that western side opened right as the construction schedule was due to wrap up. Red Devil Pizza, which the Upland Chamber describes as family-owned, held its grand-opening ribbon cutting on September 23 at 907 W. Foothill Blvd. Its neighbors on that side include a Denny's at 825 W. Foothill and a Jack in the Box at 611 W. Foothill. The City's stated goals for the rehabilitation included supporting local development and smoother traffic flow. A new restaurant choosing this block in September is one early sign of the first goal.

Phase 2 Points Toward the Buffalo Inn Site

Near the Central Avenue end of the planned second phase, at 1812–1816 W. Foothill Blvd., sits the site of the Buffalo Inn. The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reported on July 20, 2026 that the restaurant closed in 2015 and that the site is now eyed for housing. The City's environmental review listing calls the proposal Buffalo Grove. It describes 72 condominium homes on 4.42 acres and says the project would need a specific plan, a General Plan amendment and a zone change.

The City listing gives no approval date or construction schedule. The public comment period on its environmental review has closed, and no decision has been reported. For now, Buffalo Grove is a proposal on a stretch of road that is itself still in design.

The two have to be read together. Phase 2 lists water main replacement, ADA improvements and traffic signal upgrades for Benson to Central. The housing proposal sits along that same western stretch. Whatever happens on the Buffalo Inn site, the road in front of it is on the City's list for the same kind of rebuild the eastern blocks just went through.

The Rest of October, Starting at Memorial Park

Memorial Park hosted the centennial and has more on its October calendar. The Friends of Upland Animal Shelter will hold Dogtoberfest there on Sunday, October 25, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

A few blocks off Foothill, Historic Downtown Upland has two big October nights. 2nd on 2nd runs Saturday, October 10, from 5 to 10:30 p.m. Second Avenue closes to cars for live bands, outdoor dining and vendors, with an Entertainment Zone where adults 21 and over may carry alcoholic drinks. The City's free Scary-A-Faire follows on Saturday, October 24, from 4 to 8 p.m., with trick-or-treating, community booths and themed entertainment downtown. The Saturday Farmers Market & Craft Faire continues every week from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The dates to remember are October 16, the last day to collect stamps, and October 19, when the City announces the winners. Kids' cardboard car winners from the centennial are due October 14. After that, the next Foothill news to watch for is any update on Phase 2 between Benson and Central.

If you own a home along Foothill or near the Benson-to-Central stretch and want to know how the first phase, the planned second phase and the Buffalo Grove proposal might affect your property, I'm happy to go through the City documents with you, in English or Spanish. Lily Valdivia has held a California real estate license since 2010. Let's Connect.