 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 . 
