A state Democratic congressman in Illinois has just introduced legislation that would rename Interstate 57 in honor of former President Barack Obama, saying that he wants to do this to pay tribute to his political legacy.
Rep. Bobby Rush (D) introduced his bill that would rename the stretch of highway located within the state of Illinois after the 44th president earlier this week, according to NBC Chicago.
“Designating the Illinois portion of I-57 as ‘Barack Obama Highway’ will be a constant reminder of President Obama’s legacy, and of how he started his historic political career – and launched his bid for the presidency – in the great state of Illinois,” Rush said. “This major interstate artery, which connects commuters, students and tourists will serve as a powerful symbol of the connection President Obama not only had with the country, but with the state he adopted as his own.”
Interstate 57 starts on its northern end in Chicago before it branches off from the Dan Ryan Expressway just south of 95th Street. The highway runs for 386 miles through Illinois and comes to an end at Interstate 55 in Sikeston, Missouri.
Rush added that Interstate 57 is the only expressway in the Chicago area that has not been formally named after an historical figure. The United States Department of Transportation also states that it is the second-longest two-digit interstate highway without an auxiliary route.
Rush has an interesting history with Obama, as he defeated the former president in the 2000 Democratic primary. From there, Obama would go on to win election to the United States Senate in 2004 before successfully being elected president in 2008. He served two terms in the White House, leaving office in 2016.
If this bill is successful, this will not be the only American highway named after Obama. Back in 2017, a stretch of Interstate 55 from the Tri-State Tollway to exit 202 near Pontiac, Illinois was renamed the “Barack Obama Presidential Expressway.”
“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,” state Rep. LaShawn Ford (D) said at the time.
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