The name was first assigned to the stretch of highway from Beltway 8 to the Waller County line in the 2005 Texas Legislature, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Years later, the signage is now in place with the help of $24,000 in private donations.

“The only thing that was holding this up is we made it where it had to be [funded] privately,” said state Rep. Allen Fletcher, R–Tomball. “We raised the private funds to get this sign out here. The time has come. I'm honored to be here today and to be a part of this. I look forward to my business card saying Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway.”

Private donations received by TxDOT were made by dozens of private citizens, government officials and organizations in order to fund the necessary signage. The main proponent for the bill was state Rep. Dwayne Bohac, R–Houston, as it was his decision to name the corridor after the former president and helped pass it through the Senate, according to state Sen. Dan Patrick, R–Houston.

“I am a big fan of Ronald Reagan because he restored our belief in America during very tough economic times,” Bohac said. “We all believed that it was truly morning in America and that we could grow this economy and be a secure nation. That's the type of leadership that all American's crave.”

Markers from TxDOT designating the Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway will be placed at each end of the corridor near the Beltway 8 interchange and the border of Waller County, said Karen Othon, TxDOT public information officer.

“Today, when we speak in the name of Reagan we hold it in high esteem of those glory days of productivity, prosperity and when we had people joining hands across the banner moving forward for this country of ours,” said Jack Cagle, Harris County Precinct 4 commissioner. “What a privilege it is to have our keystone freeway—as we continue to develop and expand it—as no longer a place where we wait, but a place where we move.”