A traffic jam on I-40 led me onto old Route 66 near Tijeras, where I unexpectedly discovered a stretch of road that somehow plays “America the Beautiful” through your tires.
Updated May 2026
A few years ago, while driving east on I-40 from Albuquerque toward my home in the East Mountains, traffic slowed to a crawl somewhere near Carnuel due to construction on the interstate. Rather than spend the next half hour staring at brake lights, I got off at Exit 170 and took NM State Highway 333 instead, part of old Route 66.
That turned out to be a very good decision, and not just because of the traffic.
A few miles later, somewhere between Carnuel and Tijeras, I started hearing music.
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What’s that sound?
I’m an audiobook junkie, so whenever I’m driving there’s usually an audiobook or podcast playing in the car. After a few miles, though, I started hearing a strange sound that vaguely reminded me of “America the Beautiful.”
At first, I assumed something strange was happening with the stereo. Then I thought maybe it was one of those elaborate truck horns from the interstate, except the sound seemed way too close for that. So I shut off the stereo, but the music kept playing.
At this point, I briefly questioned my sanity. Then another thought came to me. Could it somehow be the rumble strips on the road? You know, those grooves designed to alert drivers when they start drifting out of their lane?
A few seconds later, the song stopped, leaving me thoroughly confused.
I pulled over at the next opportunity and did a quick search on my phone for “rumble strip songs.” It didn’t take long before I stumbled across articles about musical roads, also known as singing highways.
Apparently, musical roads are actually a thing, but somehow I’d made it to my mid-50s without ever getting the memo.
Musical Roads Around the World
Once I started reading about them, I realized musical roads are a lot more common than I would’ve guessed.
There are dozens of them around the world, and Japan seems especially fond of the concept, with more than 30 musical roads scattered across the country.
Other countries have experimented with them too, including South Korea, China, Hungary, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, and Denmark. Some play folk songs or national anthems, while others were designed more as public art projects or roadside attractions.
Musical Roads in the United States
Musical roads are still pretty rare in the United States, though. As far as I can tell, there are only a handful of them scattered around the country.
One of the better known examples is in Lancaster, California, where the road plays the “William Tell Overture.” Auburn, Alabama also has one that plays “War Eagle” near Auburn University.
But personally, I think New Mexico got the better deal.
The musical road in Tijeras plays “America the Beautiful,” which somehow feels perfectly suited for a stretch of old Route 66 in the East Mountains, even if I may not be even remotely objective on the subject.
The Story Behind the Musical Road in Tijeras
After doing a little more research, I learned that the musical road in Tijeras was installed in 2014 through a partnership between the National Geographic Channel and the New Mexico Department of Transportation.
The idea was surprisingly practical. The rumble strips were designed to encourage drivers to maintain the speed limit by making the song sound correct only when traveling about 45 mph. Apparently, I’d driven this stretch of road many times without ever noticing it. In fairness, I was probably going too fast… or too slow. Ok, too fast.
The rumble strips are precisely spaced to create the notes of “America the Beautiful” as your tires pass over them. From what I’ve read, the original version in 2014 played more of the song and sounded significantly clearer than it does today. Years of traffic and wear on the road seem to have softened the effect a bit over time.
Still, it’s pretty great.
Today, what you’ll hear is closer to this…
How to find the Musical Road in Tijeras
There used to be signs alerting drivers to the musical road, but those appear to be long gone. Fortunately, it’s still pretty easy to find if you know where to look.
- Take Exit 170 (Carnuel Exit) off I-40 and head east on NM State Highway 333, part of historic Route 66.
- Continue about 3.3 miles east, roughly between mile markers 4 and 5.
- Drive about 45 mph for the clearest version of the song.
- Make sure your right tires pass over the rumble strips.
- The musical section only works when driving eastbound.
The next time you’re heading east from Albuquerque on I-40, it’s worth taking a short detour through Carnuel and Tijeras just to experience one of New Mexico’s stranger little roadside surprises for yourself.
📚 Want to Learn More
If you enjoy Route 66 history, backroads travel, and the kinds of unexpected places you find after getting off the interstate, here are a few books worth checking out:
Route 66 Adventure Handbook: Full-Throttle Sixth Edition by Drew Knowles. A detailed and entertaining guide to Route 66 filled with vintage motels, neon signs, roadside diners, quirky museums, oddball attractions, and the kinds of random detours that make road trips memorable.
Blue Highways: A Journey into America by William Least Heat-Moon. After losing his job and going through a divorce, Heat-Moon set out across America in a van, deliberately avoiding interstates in favor of the small “blue highways” shown on old road maps. The result is a thoughtful and often funny journey through the quieter corners of America.
The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways by Earl Swift. A surprisingly engaging look at the history of America’s interstate highway system and how those roads transformed everything from travel and tourism to the way Americans think about freedom and the open road.
Thought for the Week
This week’s “Thought for the Week” comes from Angela N. Blount, an American author known for reflective stories and observations about life, travel, and personal growth.
One of the things I enjoy most about road trips is that the memorable moments are often the ones you never planned for. A random side road, a missed turn, a small town you weren’t expecting to stop in, or in this case, a stretch of Route 66 that somehow plays “America the Beautiful” through your tires.
If traffic on I-40 hadn’t slowed to a crawl that day near Carnuel, I probably would’ve stayed on the interstate and missed the musical road entirely.
Which brings us to this week’s quote:
“Sometimes the most scenic roads in life are the detours you didn’t mean to take.”
— Angela N. Blount
Thanks for reading and happy travels!
Mark (The New Mexico Travel Guy)
Mark Aspelin, The New Mexico Travel Guy (www.newmexicotravelguy.com), is a travel writer, conservation biologist, project manager, and author of two books. He’s visited over 100 countries and all 50 U.S. states—just enough to land in the Travelers’ Century Club and make choosing a favorite place nearly impossible. He’s currently on a questionable mission to visit every town in New Mexico (there are over 500) and write a story about each one, with plans to wrap it up sometime before his early to mid 100s. Mark balances his writing with conservation and project work from his home base in the East Mountains near Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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