Lee Highway and Lee Jackson Memorial Highway will be renamed to their route number in Fairfax County, Virginia, as part of the county’s effort to strip names of Confederate generals from roads, buildings and locations.
Lee Highway will change to Route 29 and Lee Jackson Memorial Highway will change to Route 50 on July 5.
The county’s Board of Supervisors appointed a Confederate Names Task Force in 2021 to determine whether the roadways should keep their names. The task force voted overwhelmingly in favor of changing the names later that year.
“The renaming of both roadways signifies our unwavering dedication to acknowledging the experiences of our community, especially our African American neighbors,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeffrey McKay said in a news release. “Thanks to the dedicated work of all the community members who participated in the Confederate Names Task Force, we can put these divisive names behind us.”
Residents and business owners on Route 29 and Route 50 will need to update their address records, including their driver’s license, information with utility companies and postal service information. The address change will happen automatically on July 5 for county-related records, including Fairfax Water, property tax and voter registration, according to a county news release.
Business owners also must update all local and state business licenses and other essential information associated with their business operations.
Fairfax County is developing a grant program to provide financial assistance to those impacted by the change.
Last year, the county also renamed its Lee District to the Franconia District, and several county facilities previously named after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
