WHEREAS, The California segment of former U.S. Highway Route 80, largely parallel to current Interstate 8, was a 180-mile highway spanning San Diego and Imperial Counties from San Diego Bay to the Colorado River, and played a major role in the development of this state during much of the 20th century; and

WHEREAS, In 1909, California voters approved a statewide bond measure for road improvement purposes in the amount of $18 million, providing, among other things, funds to construct a road between San Diego and Imperial Counties, and their county seats of San Diego and El Centro; and

WHEREAS, In 1912, the San Diego to Phoenix and the Los Angeles to Phoenix Road Race was won by San Diego, proving that the shortest route to the east was via the San Diego route; and

WHEREAS, In 1915, a unique wood plank road was built over the Imperial Valley sand hills, resulting in a shorter route; and

WHEREAS, In 1925, the federal government became involved in standardized highway route designations across the nation and even numbers were assigned to major highways running east and west, and odd numbers for highway running north and south. The numbering of highways proceeded in numerical order beginning in the north and east and continuing south and west, respectively, and, as a result, the routing along California’s southern border was formally designated as Route 80; and

WHEREAS, This road, from San Diego to Tybee Island, Georgia, was adopted as U.S. Highway Route 80 of the designated federal highway system on November 11, 1926, by state and federal officials; and

WHEREAS, In 1926, a new transcontinental road record was achieved by Colonel Ed Fletcher of San Diego on this route; and

WHEREAS, Former U.S. Highway Route 80 was the first ocean-to-ocean transcontinental highway to be completed, and portions of the route were known as the Bankhead, Broadway of America, Dixie, Lee, Old Spanish Trail, and Southern Transcontinental Highway; and

WHEREAS, Former U.S. Highway Route 80, in addition to its importance as a transportation corridor, also has outstanding natural, cultural, historic, and scenic qualities; and

WHEREAS, Over the years, former U.S. Highway Route 80 has conveyed commerce and pleasure travelers whose needs were met by nearby cities and communities; and

WHEREAS, The response to those needs resulted in the development of adjacent environments or the retention of open space and established the unique character of those areas; and

WHEREAS, Former U.S. Highway Route 80 served as the main street of a number of California communities along its length, representing areas of both state and local significance; and

WHEREAS, Although today largely supplanted by Interstate 8, traversable segments of former U.S. Highway Route 80 remain, some as secondary state highways and others relinquished to cities and counties as local roads; and

WHEREAS, It is appropriate to designate any remaining segments of former U.S. Highway Route 80 as Historic U.S. Highway Route 80; now, therefore, be it