It had only been a month we said goodbye to our President Barack Obama, but he is missed by many. Two Illinois state representatives fall into the category of people who miss him. And they have decided to do something to honor the former president.
They are engaging in a competition to see which highway deserves to be names after the beloved President Obama. Obama is, of course, an Illinois native, serving as an Illinois Senator prior to becoming president. Before that, he also served on the Illinois State Senate as the representative from Chicago’s south side. While he wasn’t born in Illinois (he was born in Hawaii), he’s as much of a native as anybody by now.
The two Illinois highways in competition are Highway I-55 and I-294. The question of the hour is this: which will they choose?
Which Highway Should Become “Barack Obama Highway?”
Illinois State Representative Robert Martwick announced on January 26 about his hopes to dub “the entirety of Interstate 294 of the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways as the “‘President Barack Obama Tollway,'” his co-sponsor-men are Marcus C. Evans, Jr. and Jehan Gordon-Booth.
The history between Illinois and President Obama is long. He was once the Illinois state senator and a U.S senator who represented Illinois. President Obama also did a lot of community work back in Chicago during the 1980s and was a law professor at the University of Chicago Law School for over 10 years. Illinois is planned to become the new headquarters for the Obama Foundation, as it is the plan for the Obamas move back to Chicago after Sasha completes High School.
How do you feel about the christening of a new highway name after former President Obama? If you want to let us know, contact our team today!
