In a near-unanimous decision, the Fairfax County, Virginia, Board of Supervisors approved a resolution Tuesday to change the names of Lee and Lee-Jackson highways to Route 29 and Route 50, respectively.
The vote was 9 to 1, with the sole “no” vote cast by the board’s only Republican supervisor, Pat Herrity.
The vote follows a yearlong review that included surveys of the public. Late last year, the county’s Confederate Names Task Force recommended renaming both highways, and suggested the route numbers as one option. Other potential names included “Cardinal Highway,” “Fairfax Boulevard” and “Unity Highway.”
The decision means that over 230 signs with those Confederate names will need to be replaced, and county staff estimates that will cost around $1.4 million.
The decision will also impact businesses and residences that are located along either road, and the board needs more time “to develop and implement a program that would provide financial assistance program for those directly impacted,” according to the county.
Such financial assistance is estimated to run around $1.5 million.
“Currently, no funding has been identified for these changes,” the county said. “The estimate will be refined and included for the Board’s consideration through future budget processes.”
The approved resolution renaming the highways is still subject to approval by the Commonwealth Transportation Board.
In a statement, board Chairman Jeff McKay praised Tuesday’s vote.
“If approved by the [Commonwealth Transportation Board], this change will remove these divisive relics of the past, names that were assigned to these roads not to honor history or individuals but to celebrate parts of our history that have inflicted much pain on members of our community,” he said.
“In 2022 we expect better, more inclusive policies that more accurately reflect our diverse county.”
But Herrity, told WTOP that Fairfax County residents didn’t want to remove the Confederate names from those roads, based on the feedback they received from the public.
“We’re in very difficult economic times,” he said. “Our businesses [along the roads] basically said this was going to have a negative effect on them.”
There is a process in which county residents can change road names, he said, adding that there have been no community-led efforts to change any county roads with Confederate names.
“Why are we spending money on something that’s not a big issue for our community?” he asked rhetorically.
Back in June, the Board of Supervisors voted to change the name of the magisterial district known as the Lee District. Starting in November of next year, it will instead be known as the Franconia District.
