US 101/Waldo Tunnel to be renamed Robin Williams Tunnel?

[bing101]

abc7news.com/270302/

This is near the Golden Gate Bridge on US-101 and there is talks to do so?
Whats your take on this?


Changed thread title. –Roadfro

[roadfro]

I think it's a little too soon...

Also, I kinda have some issue with renaming something that has already been named for someone else. If the tunnel were a bland name, such as the "Marin Tunnel", then that would sit better with me.

California likes to name all sorts of highways, bridges and tunnels after people--almost to the point that it doesn't really mean anything. By contrast, I think Nevada only has 5 or 6 highways officially recognized as being named for people (one being Martin L King Jr, and another being President Eisenhower/I-80) and 2 bridges (one being the Hoover Dam bridge shared with AZ).

[formulanone]

Better a comedian rather than another politician (or generic patriotic statement)...but if it was already dedicated after one person, changing it seems rude to me.

Unless you really screwed up for ultra-heinous acts later in life.

[oscar]

In Hawaii, the main Interstate H-3 tunnels were originally named for Tetsuo Harano, formerly of Hawaii DOT.  Governor Ben Cayetano then ordered the tunnels renamed for former Gov. John A. Burns, one of Gov. Cayetano's political heroes.  The Harano family was really pissed off at the change, and the Burns family wasn't too happy about it either (both the disrespect to Harano, plus they preferred the Burns name go on a new medical school).  One of the candidates to succeed term-limited Gov. Cayetano promised to restore the tunnels' old name, which was one of the first things she did after she was sworn in as the new Governor (but she kept the Burns name on Interstate H-3, which had been previously unnamed). 

[Henry]

First of all, you need to add at least www. to your link, like this:

www.abc7news.com/270302/

Second of all, I agree that it's too soon to name the tunel after a recently-deceased Hollywood/comedy legend.

And third of all, who the hell is Waldo?

[Zeffy]

And third of all, where the hell is Waldo?

Fixed that for you. 

[bing101]

I don't think renaming waldo Tunnel on US 101 would work even though I seen some movies that included Robin Williams. I think a comedy bar or theater named after him would be a better venue since actors and other Bay Area comedians were more supportive of him through tough times and at Williams rise to fame.

[flowmotion]

Williams had a joke about Marin County: "Do you know why it's called the Rainbow Tunnel? Because you go in any color and you come out white."

So it would be pretty funny if this renaming actually happened.

[J N Winkler]

I think the Waldo Tunnel is named after Waldo Point, not directly after the person for whom the latter is named:  William Waldo (1812-1881), a failed California gubernatorial candidate in 1853 who later moved back east and had no further connection to the state.  I actually think the renaming makes sense--people will know who Robin Williams was for quite a while, whereas I suspect Waldo was just a name to look up in books of reference within a decade or two of his death.

[thenetwork]

The Waldo Tunnels on US-101 just north of the Golden Gate Bridge are one step closer to being renamed for former Marin County resident Robin Williams:

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/calif-assembly-pass-bill-rename-tunnel-robin-williams-article-1.2198820

[oscar]

See https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=13257.msg2002522#msg2002522 for an old thread on this subject.

Topics merged. –Roadfro

[roadfro]

BUMP: Apparently it's official...


San Francisco Rainbow Tunnel To Be Renamed After Robin Williams

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mbvd/san-francisco-rainbow-tunnel-to-be-renamed-after-robin-willi

[nexus73]

"Where's Robin?" just doesn't have the same ring...LOL!

Rick

[Brandon]

Nanu nanu.

[bing101]

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2016/03/01/robin-williams-tunnel-sign-goes-up-on-waldo-grade/

Here is an update Waldo Tunnel is now renamed Robin Williams Tunnel.

[Rothman]

When I worked in San Francisco, I had co-workers that bumped into him on the street.  He used to jog around the Richmond District, just south of where his home was in Sea Cliff.  What was frustrating was that I actually lived in the Richmond District at the time and I never had the chance to meet the guy.

My co-workers said that both he and his wife were always nice when they were inevitably stopped (looks like she divorced him and he got married to someone else after I left the area, though).