Lawmakers approved the legislation last week to honor the St. Louis Cardinals first baseman, who last season set the major league record with 70 home runs.

Injuries have slowed McGwire a bit this year and he has hit five home runs in 17 games.

The ``Mark McGwire Highway'' will be a five-mile stretch of I-70 through St. Louis, from the city's western edge to the Illinois border.

Carnahan said he will try to arrange the bill signing ceremony so McGwire can attend.

``It's really a positive thing for Missouri. He's such a great role model, and the fact that we can name a piece of highway for him is very appropriate, and I will do that with delight,'' Carnahan said.

In January, during his annual State of the State address to lawmakers, Carnahan recognized McGwire for his record number of home runs and his $1 million donation to help abused and neglected children.

McGwire, a California native who is in his second full season with the Cardinals, could not be immediately reached for comment Monday. In an October appearance on ``Late Night with David Letterman,'' he joked about the hoopla surrounding last year's home run chase and the possibility that a stretch of interstate might be named after him.