maintenance coupled with improved road technology — not to mention the incredibly rough ride the planks created and the fact that the road was only wide enough for a single vehicle — meant that the days of the Plank Road were numbered. A new, 20-foot/6-meter-wide road with an asphaltic concrete surface constructed on top of a built-up sand embankment replaced the Old Plank Road upon its opening on August 12, 1926. The same roadway later became displaced by U.S. Route 80, itself since displaced by Interstate 8. Today, only fragments of the Plank Road remain. They are protected under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management. The fragments are both a California Historical Landmark and eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Remnants of the Plank Road may be seen at the west end of Grays Well Road, a frontage road south of I-8. A monument to the Plank Road and interpretive display lie approximately three miles/5.4 km west of the Sand Hills interchange. The monument's largest feature is a 1500-foot/457-meter-long replica of the road created in the early 1970s out of existing fragments. California Historical Landmark California Historical Landmark number 845 reads: NO. 845 PLANK ROAD - This unique plank road, seven miles long, was the only means early motorists had of crossing the treacherous Imperial sand dunes. The 8-by-12-foot sections were moved with a team of horses whenever the shifting sands covered portions of the road. Double sections were placed at intervals to permit vehicles to pass See also California Historical Landmarks in Imperial County California Historical Landmark References External links Plank Road history and photos California Historical Landmarks Historic trails and roads in California Deserts of California Colorado Desert Types of roads National Register of Historic Places in Imperial County, California Plank road Protected areas of Imperial County, California