As ASCE Civil Engineering Landmark Madness heads into its final week, an unexpected plot twist has emerged.
Turns out, there may be a real rivalry brewing between railways and roadways.
“While I understand the allure of Route 66, I am calling on all train people to come out and represent,” said Sarah Halsey, P.E., M.ASCE, in a fiery landmark post on ASCE Collaborate. “Trains are way more iconic than parking lots in my book and deserve to move up in the brackets.”
And here we thought all transportation folks got along.
Tongue-in-cheek as Halsey’s post might have been, we certainly have found ourselves with an exemplary championship matchup to decide her rails-versus-roads argument.
After three weeks of voting, Route 66 and the Joining of the Rails–Transcontinental Railroad have advanced to the Landmark Madness finals. That’s about as iconic as it gets. Voting in the title match opens Monday, March 30 and runs through Sunday, April 5.
“Roads like Route 66 did more than give cars a pathway to travel. They brought commerce to cities and towns along the way, improved interstate travel, and inspired engineers and architects to design innovative structures,” said Heidi Wallace, P.E., M.ASCE, who grew up about 15 miles from Route 66 and now lives and works in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Safe to say, she’s officially Team Roads.
“Today, stops all along Route 66 have guest logs and maps filled with names of visitors from around the world taking a peek back in time by visiting the attractions that still line the road,” Wallace said. “The interstates that replaced the old route serve their own purposes, too, with straighter alignments that can handle the increased traffic volumes and faster vehicles.
“But there is something magical about taking a side detour on the old Route 66 to see the unique bridges and winding pathways of a bygone era in our infrastructural history.”
But checking back in on Team Rails …
“Why trains? Efficiency, romance, classic movies, childhood memories of traveling cross-country on trains, and they even work for mass transit,” Halsey said.
“Tragically, they also have a past where people were exploited and then excluded from the country. In that way, they fully represent our strengths and weaknesses.
“Also, consider trains’ success over such a long time. Trains are the best way to move people and goods. This is infrastructure that is going to last into the 22nd century. Bold statement, I know, but I stand behind it.”
Civil Engineering Landmark Madness is a celebration of the Society’s Historic Civil Engineering Landmark program. And the ASCE History and Heritage Committee built the 2026 bracket of a “Sweet 16” of railways and roadways. The committee might be surprised by the extra-spicy rivalry their bracket has created. Then again, perhaps that was part of their plan from the start.
Everyone loves a good rivalry.
Voting in the finals is open through Sunday, April 5.
See the complete bracket and vote in the championship match of ASCE Civil Engineering Landmark Madness 2026.