Illinois democratic state legislators are pushing for America’s 44th president to have his own expressway, the Chicago Sun Times reports.
Last month, state Rep. Robert Martwick (D-Chicago), submitted House Joint Resolution 0017. The measure would designate “the entirety of Interstate 294 of the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways as the ‘President Barack Obama Tollway,'” state legislative records show.
The move is in “recognition of President Barack Obama’s dedication to public service as an Illinois State Senator, U.S. Senator from Illinois, and President of the United States of America,” the resolution read.
On Wednesday, that resolution was assigned to the House’s Tollway Oversight Committee—the same day state Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago), announced he is drafting legislation that would rename the majority of Interstate 55 in the state as the “Barack Obama Expressway.”
Ford will propose renaming the stretch from the Tri-State Tollway to East St. Louis. In a statement from his office Ford said the decision to rename the expressway was born from Obama’s frequent trips between Springfield and Chicago when he was an Illinois State senator.
“We can imagine that then state Senator Obama made many trips between Springfield and Chicago on Interstate 55, so it is very fitting that we rename Interstate 55 as the Barack Obama Expressway,” Ford said.
Between the Tri-State and Lake Shore Drive, the expressway currently bears the name of former Illinois governor and presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson.
Ford’s statement did not address his colleagues’ already-filed legislation.
In addition to the efforts to rename parts of highways after Obama, three bills were submitted to designate the 44th president’s birthday (Aug. 4) as an official state holiday. Another House resolution seeks to declare Aug. 4, 2017 and Aug. 4, 2018 as “Barack Obama Day” in the state of Illinois.
