Committee To Consider Guidelines For Naming Roads And Bridges

Putnam County will consider setting up a set of standards for naming bridges, roads, and structures within the county.

Commissioner Mike Atwood said the commission may have set a precedent by approving a measure to rename the Interstate 40 Exit 276 overpass bridge.

“My concern is, what do we do next time? What happens beyond this and what is the criteria for deciding what people submit,” Atwood said. “We have limited resources, only so many bridges, and many people who deserve to be recognized.”

Under a motion approved by the county commission Monday, the Records and Archives Committee will be tasked with setting up the guidelines.

The commission voted 20-3 to name the overpass as the Francis Marion Roberts Memorial Bridge.

Several commissioners had wanted the proposal to be reviewed by the county roads committee, but the commission voted that proposal down.

Other commissioners questioned why the county was voting on renaming a state-owned bridge