On the day that would have been Willie Mays’ 95th birthday, San Francisco made sure the Say Hey Kid scored one more honor on home turf. A key stretch of Interstate 80 that carries drivers off the Bay Bridge and into the ballpark neighborhood has been officially designated the Willie Mays Highway, complete with fresh signage. The move links the Hall of Famer’s name to the route most Giants fans take to reach Oracle Park and the statue at Willie Mays Plaza, a symbolic nod meant to keep Mays front and center for generations of Bay Area fans.
Which Stretch Of Freeway Got The Name
The official renaming traces back to Senate Concurrent Resolution 169, adopted by the Legislature in 2024, which directed Caltrans to calculate signage costs and install markers once private donations covered the bill, according to the California Assembly Journal. Team announcements and league coverage put the Willie Mays Highway markers between Postmile 3.836 near Treasure Island and Postmile 5.700 near Oracle Park, and note that the new signs went up earlier this week, per MLB.com.
Signs, Funding And The Celebration
The Giants said the markers were installed earlier this week as part of a birthday tribute, and they shared statements from team leadership and the Say Hey Foundation to mark the moment. “What an incredibly special way to honor Willie’s legacy,” Giants president and CEO Larry Baer said in the team’s announcement, per MLB.com.
Who Pushed For The Name And Why
State senators Bill Dodd and Scott Wiener took the lead in Sacramento, authoring the resolution that ultimately put Mays’ name on the freeway. The measure drew co-sponsors and local endorsements as it moved through the Capitol, with local coverage highlighting the broad, bipartisan enthusiasm behind the gesture, per CBS San Francisco. The assembly record details how the resolution instructed Caltrans to proceed only after private funding was secured, a setup designed to keep taxpayers off the hook while still getting the signs in the ground, according to the California Assembly Journal.
