SIMI VALLEY : Signs Announce New Name for Freeway

Ten new signs honoring the 40th President of the United States have been erected along the freeways surrounding the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library near Simi Valley.

The thoroughfare formerly known as the Simi Valley-San Fernando Freeway is now known as the Ronald Reagan Freeway, said Margie Tiritilli, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation.

It is the only freeway in California named for a former president, she said.

“The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is right there, so it was tied in with that,” Tiritilli said. “He was also the governor of California as well as the President of the United States, so it’s a nice honor.”

Six signs were erected last week along the Reagan Freeway, three on each side of the road.

Another four signs along the Moorpark Freeway and the Reagan Freeway alert motorists to the library, Tiritilli said.

First approved in December, the green and white signs cost a total of $26,600. But Tiritilli said they were paid for by the library foundation.

Caltrans officials opted not to host an official unveiling at Nancy Reagan’s request. “To honor her wishes, we just did it very quietly,” Tiritilli said.