ARLINGTON, Va. – A northern Virginia county is taking down highway signs honoring the president of the Confederacy.

In May, a state panel approved Arlington County’s request to change the name of U.S. Route 1 in the county from Jefferson Davis Highway to Richmond Highway. County workers were beginning to swap out the signs on Thursday, at a cost of $17,000.

The city of Alexandria made a similar change at the start of the year. The highway carried the Jefferson Davis name since 1922.

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