Two Republican state senators from Oklahoma, Nathan Dahm and Marty Quinn, on Tuesday introduced a bill proposing to rename a portion of the legendary and now largely-defunct Route 66 after US President Donald Trump, The Hill report says.
“We feel like this is a perfect opportunity to commemorate the great impact his leadership has had on improving the economy and bringing jobs and commerce back to our great state,” Dahm declared to the KOKH local news outlet.
According to the proposed legislation, an approximately 13-mile stretch of the historical interstate beginning in the Ottawa county town of Miami, and continuing through the town of Commerce, would be renamed after Trump.
The bill says the funding necessary for installing new road signs and other operations would be solely provided by the authors and co-authors of the legislation in the state Senate and the House. The renaming will have no monetary impact on taxpayers, the lawmakers say.
“It is an honor to have authored this legislation that will help memorialize President Trump and his contribution to keeping America free and prosperous,” Roberts suggested.
The lawmaker noted that several highways in the state bear the names of former presidents, including Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. The legislation will be discussed in an upcoming legislative session, beginning in February, a Fox News report says.
Route 66, established in 1926, runs from Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles County’s Santa Monica in California. Its total length is 2,448 miles. Over the years, the interstate has gradually been replaced by newer, faster and more direct highways, which led to the road being removed from the US Highway System in 1985.
Despite that, many states have adopted portions of the road as ‘Historic Route 66’ or ‘State Route 66.’ The highway remains a tourist attraction.