 To construct the road, the House Armed Services Committee voted to allocate $ 660,000 (about $ 13.3 million in 2015 dollars) for the Navy to give to Imperial County to construct it in February 1956. The House Appropriations Committee bundled it with 616 other projects, however, which President Dwight Eisenhower vetoed in mid-July. The allocation was eventually approved by both Congress and Eisenhower a few weeks later. The San Diego Union and the Evening Tribune (later merged to form the Union-Tribune) were recognized by the San Diego county supervisors for their role in winning congressional support for the funding.
