State Alters Course, Names Lake Hodges Bridge for Chelsea King

Less than two months after the idea , the state Legislature has named a bridge on Interstate 15 and a stretch of Route 78 for slain teens Chelsea King and Amber Dubois.

The I-15 bridge over Lake Hodges near where the body of King was found Feb. 25, 2010, will be named the Chelsea King Memorial Bridge—nearly two years after the idea was first suggested.

The 17-year-old Poway High School student disappeared during a run in Rancho Bernardo Park. Convicted sex offender John Gardner later pleaded guilty to the slayings and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The legislation also designates the portion of state Route 78 between Old Milky Way and West Zoo Road alongside the San Diego Zoo Safari Park as the Amber Dubois Memorial Highway for the Escondido High School student.

The highway memorial legislation—called ACR 165—was co-sponsored by Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher. It passed the Assembly on Aug. 20 by a vote of 76-0 and was approved by the Senate in a 38-0 vote Friday.

But in early July, U-T San Diego reported:  “It was thought that Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, I-San Diego, would push the legislation through. Nothing happened, however, and apparently nothing will.”

The action echoes that taken for a 20-year-old San Diego State Unversity student killed by a Highway Patrol officer in 1986. The Los Peñasquitos Creek Arch Bridge was renamed the Cara Knott Memorial Bridge in 1995.

North County Supervisor Bill Horn wrote his fellow board members in September 2010, asking their support for the new memorials.

“Local government leaders have a responsibility to mark both triumph and tragedy in their cities and communities,” Horn said. “Naming two well-traveled sections of highway in North County for Chelsea and Amber will help to ensure that their lives and legacies are not forgotten.”

Brent King, Chelsea’s father, was quoted as saying Friday: “We think it’s a wonderful reminder to stay vigilant and don’t take anything for granted.”

—City News Service contributed to this report.