On July 10, 2016, BLM wildland firefighters Jacob O’Malley and Will Hawkins died in a single-vehicle rollover crash on State Route 140 while on routine patrol for lightning-sparked fires. State Route 140 extends northwest from U.S. 93 north of Winnemucca to the Oregon state line.
On Nov. 2, 2017, Governor Sandoval, Nevada Department of Transportation representatives and the firefighters’ families and friends gathered at a ceremony to dedicate 12 miles of the state route in the firefighters’ names. The segment between the U.S. 95/State Route 140 junction and 12 miles northwest of the junction was dedicated, with one four by six-foot sign installed in each direction to read “Highway Segment Dedicated to BLM Firefighters Will Hawkins and Jacob O’Malley.”
There are six other state roads officially named in honor of an individual, not including U.S. presidents. The road is also part of the Winnemucca to the Sea Highway, dedicated in September of 1962 to recognize a continuous, improved route from the previous U.S. 40 (now I-80) in Winnemucca through Medford, Oregon to the Pacific Coast at Crescent City, California.
