City officials expressed a desire to have SR 78 included in the Interstate Highway System in 1985, but this was determined unlikely to succeed by state senator William Craven. In September, the state government agreed to pay $7.5 million (about $ in dollars) for the widening between Oceanside and Escondido, but the county and the five cities the route ran through would have to pay for the rest of the cost. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors endorsed the project that month, in order to have the best chance at getting federal funding. A spike in accidents during that year led to Representative Ron Packard proposing a way to split the costs between the governments; there were 387 accidents from January to August 1985, a sharp increase from 234 in 1984. In recognition for his work obtaining funding, SR 78 between Oceanside and Escondido was named the Ronald Packard Parkway in 2000.
