A Vision First Sparked in 1978. The call to widen US 12 began when an engineer with the Washington State Department of Transportation, Bob Schuster, presented future road plans to state senators, including the trailblazing Sen. Jeannette Hayner. At a time when few women served in the legislature, Hayner recognized the importance of US 12 as a key link and became a tireless advocate for its expansion. Safety concerns, funding challenges, and the need for better statewide connectivity were recognized more than four decades ago.