Photo by John RiggState representatives unveil the sign designating Hwy. 290 as the Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway seven years after legislation was passed.
State representatives, civil leaders and public servants unveiled the new signage for the Hwy. 290 corridor Nov. 1, designating the Northwest Houston portion of the roadway as the Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway.
The name was first assigned to the stretch of highway from Beltway 8 to the Waller County line in the 2005 Texas Legislature, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Years later, the signage is now in place with the help of $24,000 in private donations.
"The only thing that was holding this up is we made it where it had to be [funded] privately," said state Rep. Allen Fletcher, R–Tomball. "We raised the private funds to get this sign out here. The time has come. I'm honored to be here today and to be a part of this. I look forward to my business card saying Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway."
Private donations received by TxDOT were made by dozens of private citizens, government officials and organizations in order to fund the necessary signage. The main proponent for the bill was state Rep. Dwayne Bohac, R–Houston, as it was his decision to name the corridor after the former president and helped pass it through the Senate, according to state Sen. Dan Patrick, R–Houston.
