Fredericksburg to petition for statewide name change of U.S. Route 1

The Fredericksburg City Council will petition the Virginia General Assembly to remove the name of Jefferson Davis Highway from the U.S. Route 1 statewide.

The council made their decision in a 6-1 vote at its online meeting Tuesday night to present their petition to the Virginia General Assembly at their August special session.

Fredericksburg is the only locality to petition the General Assembly in regard to the removal of the name Jefferson Davis thus far. The resolution for this petition was presented by Councilmember Kerry Devine.

The City may not wait too long for the General Assembly to make a decision as it was suggested by Ward 1 Councilmember Jason Graham that the council should set a deadline for the General Assembly to respond before Fredericksburg acts. According to Fredericksburg Public Relations Officer Sonja Cantu, the City has set a deadline for the end of the General Assembly’s 2021 session.

Regardless of whether the Assembly responds or not, Fredericksburg has made a commitment to change the name of the highway.

“If the General Assembly doesn’t make a move, we have the opportunity to make a move. We’re setting a trend, and I’m proud to be a part of this council. It’s a happy moment,” stated Councilmember Charlie Frye later in the meeting.

Councilmember At-Large Matt Kelly informed the Council that he had conferred with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and they assured him that the city has the authority to change the name of any road within their city limits and doesn’t need the permission of either VDOT or the Commonwealth Transportation Board.

Kelly was the sole dissenting vote in the motion. He offered a substitute motion to open the issue up to public discussions, but there were no takers.

“There needs to be a community discussion so everyone has their chance to say their piece. Let’s have a public comment on this subject before we go forward with this,” said Kelly.

Ward 3 Supervisor Tim Duffy offered his thoughts on the subject.

“The Confederates lost the war, but we’ve spent generations trying to win the peace..and this road that runs through our town with that name goes against the cause of freedom. People of color shouldn’t have to live in places that have monuments that celebrate their oppression and none that celebrate social justice”

If passed, it has been estimated that about 133 businesses may be affected by this change. To that end, the Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority decided to set aside $35,000 in assistance grants to businesses that will have to change their addresses when this event occurs.