WILLIAMS, Ariz. — For those who live in Williams, the Grand Canyon Railway whistle every morning has become a part of life, with many not even remembering a time when it wasn’t blowing.

In 1984, the city of Williams went down in history as the last Route 66 town to be bypassed by Interstate-40. As predicted, many Williams businesses struggled as traffic circumvented the town on the newly constructed interstate, and the streets of Williams became quiet.