Seventeen miles of US 95 now honor Yuma leader Gary Knight
Seventeen miles of US 95 now honor Yuma leader Gary Knight
Signs mark MP 31-48 as Gary Knight Memorial Highway
YUMA – Signs installed by the Arizona Department of Transportation now mark 17 miles of US 95 in Yuma as Gary Knight Memorial Highway, honoring the late civic leader who also served as chairman of the Arizona State Transportation Board.
The signs between mileposts 31 and 48 carry the designation approved by the Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic Names. This stretch of US 95 lies between the eastern part of Yuma and Yuma Proving Ground, a major employer.
The Yuma Metropolitan Planning Organization, which proposed the designation, held an event Thursday, Nov. 6, at which leaders including ADOT Director Jennifer Toth paid tribute to Knight’s leadership and advocacy for the Yuma area.
“I am pleased to honor Gary Knight’s service to Arizona and his commitment to enhancing transportation infrastructure not just in his community but across our state,” Director Toth said.
Knight was in his third term as a member of the Yuma City Council when he passed away in April 2024. Among other community involvement, Knight served on the executive boards of the Yuma Metropolitan Planning Organization and Greater Yuma Port Authority and also served as Yuma’s deputy mayor. He was appointed to the State Transportation Board in 2018 and served as chairman before the end of his six-year term.
Other state highways honoring individuals include the Governor Rose Mofford Memorial Highway (two stretches of US 60 between Globe and Apache Junction), Piestewa Freeway (State Route 51) and Congressman Ed Pastor Freeway (Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway).
For more information on the Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic Names, please visit the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records website at azlibrary.gov (Click About > Boards and Commissions).