Route 666 - The Devil's Highway

I have been hearing a lot on the news about the Devils Highway, Route 666 here in New Mexico. I started wondering, "who would name a road that"?. So I did some research.

Evidently, the route was upgraded in 1926 to a U.S. Highway and name Route 666 per the numbering guidelines as the sixth spur along Route 66 by branching off at Gallup, NM. The number was assigned by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO).

Over time the route became known as the "Devil's Highway". This made the highway signs targets for thiefs.

in 2003, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson requested the change to Route 491 as part of his campaign he promised a plan to improve the highway and build relations between New Mexico and the Navajo Nation. Although traditional Navajo culture does not share the belief of 666 being an evil number, some Navajos had attempted for years to change the number as a way to raise awareness about the dangerous highway.

Hence, it being on the news lately. New Mexico was given money by the Federal Government, like most states, and now the Governor says he's using some of that money to repair the highway.

The highway runs through Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, as well as the tribal nations of the Navajo Nation and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. Features along the route include an extinct volcanic core named Shiprock, Mesa Verde National Park.