Wood, which is located five miles to the west. Numerous rental cabins and small houses were constructed, along with a two-story market/apartment building. Highway traffic decreased with the completion in late 1945 of the divided four-lane section of Route 66 which bypassed the community to the north. However, U. S. and foreign fans of the Mother Road today still find Devil's Elbow alongside the original 1926 route. The bridge at Devil's Elbow is iconic in stature. It is one of only two bridges left on Route 66 with a dogleg (curve) and the only one open to traffic. (The other bridge is the Chain of Rocks in St. Louis, which is closed to vehicular traffic.) Concern for the structural integrity of the 588-foot steel truss bridge came to the fore in the new millennium. The last major maintenance was in the 1970s when the cracking and separating of the concrete piers received some attention. Structural steel elements continued to deteriorate from rusting. With the decommissioning of Route 66 in 1985, the highway ceased to be a federal responsibility. It had long lost its state highway status. The maintenance of the historic route and bridge became the responsibility of Pulaski County. The county commissioners in 2002 affirmed their dedication to saving the bridge. An early estimate for rehabilitation was $2.5 million, which included structural work and removing the lead-based paint prior to repainting. The cost far exceeded the county’s resources and additional funding was sought. Finally, on October 24, 2013 , a groundbreaking ceremony was held to commemorate the start of renovations. The $1.3 million cost was a combination of grants from the Federal Highway Administration, Missouri Department of Transportation, National Park Service, Department of Housing and Urban Development, United States Department of Agriculture, and Pulaski County. The reduced cost was partly achieved by encapsulating the lead-based paint rather than removing it. The rehabilitated bridge reopened to traffic on May 22, 2014. The bridge project is a testament to local perseverance, inter-governmental cooperation, and creativity in preserving the cultural environment. In April 2017, multiple properties in the area were listed as the Devil’s Elbow Historic District, part of the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places program. Also listed was Piney Beach, a native rock tourist court located two miles to the northwest of Devils Elbow. The Historic District properties consist of the bridge and historic roadbed, along with five