In October 1964, the portion of I-8 between Imperial Avenue in El Centro to SR 111 appeared in the state budget. By December, a route for the part of I-8 just west of the Colorado River was being examined by the California Highway Commission. Construction was underway on the stretch from Seeley to SR 111 by June 1966, and the entire portion through the county was planned for completion by 1968. This portion, extending west to Drew Road, was planned for completion by early 1967, at a cost of $200 million (about $ in dollars); however, by then the date for completion of the freeway had slipped to 1972. The state ordered the building of the portion from west of Coyote Wells to just east of Drew Road in September 1967. The next year, Dekema indicated that the goal was to have I-8 completed by 1973, citing a deadline in order to have the federal government pay for up to ninety percent of the costs; the other freeways in the region were to be delayed because of this.