Upcoming Meeting To Rename Jefferson Davis Highway Canceled Following Events in Charlottesville

Caroline Tucker

wmal.com

ALEXANDRIA, VA — (WMAL) On Thursday, the public was going to help the City of Alexandria come up with a new name for Jefferson Davis Highway, which is named after the president of the Confederate States.

But events over the weekend changed that.

“Given the level of feedback the city is receiving on issues related to Charlottesville but not the street name, that the hearing could be drowned out by issues that are not within the scope of the hearing,” said Craig Fifer, a spokesperson for the City of Alexandria.

Fifer also says the ad-hoc committee in charge of recommending a new name was expecting a large crowd.

“We were concerned about finding a suitable new location and giving proper public notice in time for Thursday night,” said Fifer.

A planned meeting for September 25 is still on. Also, an online survey to recommend new names will remain up until September 15.

“This survey is only to come up with new names for Jefferson Davis Highway. It is not to debate whether to change the name, ” said Fifer.

The city council has already made the decision to remove Jefferson Davis’ name from the highway.

You can find a link to the survey and meeting information here.

Copyright 2017 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO:Mathew Brady/National Archives/Public Domain )

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