Route 66 is arguably the most famous road in the world. Variously known as the Will Rogers Highway, the Main Street of America or the Mother Road, various state routes were linked to form Route 66, running from Chicago to Los Angeles for a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km).

During its heyday in the 1950s, the highway supported thousands of hotels and motels built to take in weary travellers, backed up by hundreds of diners, gas stations, and tourist attractions. However, with the introduction of the new Interstate Highway System, local towns everywhere along Route 66 began to lose business as many thousands of motorists took to the faster speeds and shunned local exits. By the late 70s, traffic on Route 66 was reduced to a trickle, and in 1985, the legendary ribbon of asphalt was removed from the US highway system.

When the highway was decommissioned, sections of the road were disposed of in various ways. Some became state roads, local roads, private drives, or were just blocked off. But whatever its designation, the importance and impact of Route 66 remain to this day. German photographer Ralph Gräf managed to document some of the abandoned and forgotten corners along the historic byway. Scroll through the gallery above to see the deserted gas stations and road signs along the once Main Street of America, and head over to graef-fotografie.de for more of Gräf’s work.