Route 666 (Highway To Hell) Renamed in New Mexico

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Reuters) - Oh heck. You can't drive on the Devil's highway in New Mexico anymore.



Route 666, often referred to by locals as the "Highway to Hell" or "Satan's Highway" was formally re-christened Route 491 on Wednesday. Several prominent voices wanted new numbers for one of the state's deadliest roads that lacked associations with the biblical beast.

"After 77 years of concern and discontent we have finally removed any reference to the devil from this highway," said Gov. Bill Richardson in a ceremonial dedication.

The tortuous stretch of road runs through mountain valleys from Gallup to Shiprock for just over 100 miles in the northwest part of the state. It has some of the highest fatalities per mile of any highway in New Mexico because of its poor condition.

In 2002, 11 people were killed in crashes on U.S. 666 in New Mexico, while in the first six months of this year, six have perished, the state transportation department said.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=573&e=3&u=/nm/20030731/od_nm/odd_highway_dc

Is renaming it going to make it safer? Tieing a ribbon onto a piece sh*t doesn't change the fact that IT'S A PIECE OF SH*T!!! :grr:

If I ran the New Mexico tourism board, I'd try to make a few bucks off Hwy. 666 by selling replica signs. But, that's me. :shrug:

Edit - I guess I should edit my subject line. I guess it ISN'T a "damned" road anymore. ;-)

Making government Biblically-correct, instead of changing the road to reduce fatalities.

They don't need to improve the road. By changing the number they have taken the evil out of the road and now nothing bad will happen on it.

Boy, it's so obivous, i'm surprised you missed it.
The Professor

(Sarcasm off)

...right through the Graham County, the Gila Valley and the town of Safford, and was incidentaly was founded by the Mormons. The name of the highway was changed about 10 years ago.

Will we have to change that too? Actually it fits here, the home of Fred Phelps!

this one is probably not even near the top of the list in egregiousness. Still, it deserves a dishonorable mention for craven government cowardice in the face of frothing "christian" constituents.

:evilfrown:

So people will always remember. Streets in Detroit have had name changes-some have stuck, like MLK BLVD and Rosa Parks BLVD. Others, named for Elijah McCoy and Aretha's dad, are still called by their original names.

I've seen the one in Virginia, travelling through.

Some traveler with a lot of time on their hands could make a helluva neat website....

Wonder if that one still exists as 666.

Idiots.

I was looking forward to revisiting it, terrible road that it is (the drunk driving it seemed to attract didn't help much).