President Barack Obama has a road named after him in Orlando, FL.

[Brandon]

Any guess what Chicago-area freeway will be renamed for Obama? They've already got Eisenhower, Kennedy and Reagan (not to mention two-time presidential nominee Adlai Stevenson).

And we have a local elementary school named for both Barack AND Michelle Obama.

I-57 ???

Ahh, forgot about I-57. It appears to be the only local freeway without a name.

It does, in fact, have a name, as does I-80.  They just are never used.

I-57 is the West Leg of the Dan Ryan Expressway, and I-80 is the Moline Expressway.

Maybe they'll name the Illiana after him.

I highly doubt it.  Obama is a Chicago Democrat, and the Illiana Expressway is in Will County.  The Will County Dems and Chicago Dems are not exactly friendly with each other.

[vtk]

So, is the Dan Ryan shaped like Λ, or like λ?  Either way is stupid.

[Brandon]

So, is the Dan Ryan shaped like Λ, or like λ?  Either way is stupid.

Neither.  I-94 leaves the Dan Ryan at the Split/Merge and follows the Bishop Ford Freeway (aka Calumet Expressway).  The Ryan turns west then south along I-57.

[vtk]

So, is the Dan Ryan shaped like Λ, or like λ?  Either way is stupid.

Neither.  I-94 leaves the Dan Ryan at the Split/Merge and follows the Bishop Ford Freeway (aka Calumet Expressway).  The Ryan turns west then south along I-57.

So it's I-57 into the city to where it ends, then I-94 into downtown?  Why can't you or Wikipedia say it that clearly?  (I had to look at Google Maps for a few minutes to figure out the meaning of your answer.)

[hbelkins]

105 posts, including a long discussion on whether roads should be named after living persons, and not a single mention of the Bud Shuster Highway? Shame on you, AARoads.  

I know he's been discussed here before. Possibly on the I-99 thread?

It seemed funny to me that there was so much outrage about one road carrying Shuster's name, yet no one seemed to mind that there were a zillion things named after Robert Byrd before he assumed room temperature.

[US71]

105 posts, including a long discussion on whether roads should be named after living persons, and not a single mention of the Bud Shuster Highway? Shame on you, AARoads.  

I know he's been discussed here before. Possibly on the I-99 thread?

It seemed funny to me that there was so much outrage about one road carrying Shuster's name, yet no one seemed to mind that there were a zillion things named after Robert Byrd before he assumed room temperature.

Or John Paul Hammerschmidt

[Gnutella]

Naming anything after a sitting politician is like inducting athletes into the Hall of Fame (whichever one) while they're still playing.

[ET21]

Any guess what Chicago-area freeway will be renamed for Obama? They've already got Eisenhower, Kennedy and Reagan (not to mention two-time presidential nominee Adlai Stevenson).

And we have a local elementary school named for both Barack AND Michelle Obama.

I-57 ???

Ahh, forgot about I-57. It appears to be the only local freeway without a name.

It does, in fact, have a name, as does I-80.  They just are never used.

I-57 is the West Leg of the Dan Ryan Expressway, and I-80 is the Moline Expressway.

Well, a good enough reason to rename one of them if they aren't being said frequently lol

[Brandon]

So, is the Dan Ryan shaped like Λ, or like λ?  Either way is stupid.

Neither.  I-94 leaves the Dan Ryan at the Split/Merge and follows the Bishop Ford Freeway (aka Calumet Expressway).  The Ryan turns west then south along I-57.

So it's I-57 into the city to where it ends, then I-94 into downtown?  Why can't you or Wikipedia say it that clearly?  (I had to look at Google Maps for a few minutes to figure out the meaning of your answer.)

Actually, it's south from the Circle to the Split, and then the West Leg down I-57.

[Scott5114]

It seemed funny to me that there was so much outrage about one road carrying Shuster's name, yet no one seemed to mind that there were a zillion things named after Robert Byrd before he assumed room temperature.

I think the outrage was because Shuster had the gall to write the I-99 designation into law (the first time this was ever done), and then had the road named after him.

[US71]

In Seaside, there's an Obama Way there, although it's still signed as Broadway Avenue. The signs that say Obama Way are brown instead of green. I wonder what the reasoning behind this decision is, as none of the other streets in the area are named after presidents.

It's likely an honorary designation, so the brown sign is probably to indicate that.

[hbelkins]

It seemed funny to me that there was so much outrage about one road carrying Shuster's name, yet no one seemed to mind that there were a zillion things named after Robert Byrd before he assumed room temperature.

I think the outrage was because Shuster had the gall to write the I-99 designation into law (the first time this was ever done), and then had the road named after him.

I'm not positive, but I would guess that the decision to name the road after him was made at the state level, not the federal level.

Lots of people think that Congressman Hal Rogers had the Daniel Boone Parkway renamed after him, but the fact of the matter was that it was a state decision, not a federal decision, and I know from people who were involved with the ceremony (which happened before I started my current job) that the renaming came as a complete surprise to Rogers.

[FightingIrish]

In Seaside, there's an Obama Way there, although it's still signed as Broadway Avenue. The signs that say Obama Way are brown instead of green. I wonder what the reasoning behind this decision is, as none of the other streets in the area are named after presidents.

It's likely an honorary designation, so the brown sign is probably to indicate that.

Doesn't New York do that a lot?

[mrsman]

I am surprised that no one named a road after Michael Jackson considering that he was born in the Chicago Area.  He was known as the King of Pop and had more media coverage than anyone has ever had after their passing.

That would be Gary, IN. And they did put a commemorative marker outside the Jackson family home, which, interestingly enough, is located on Jackson Street.

Once the Jackson 5 became famous, the family moved to L.A. and Michael attended Gardner Street School in Hollywood.  The auditorium was later named for him, and the auditorium can be seen from Hawthorne Avenue:

http://goo.gl/maps/CqFpj

[mrsman]

Any guess what Chicago-area freeway will be renamed for Obama? They've already got Eisenhower, Kennedy and Reagan (not to mention two-time presidential nominee Adlai Stevenson).

And we have a local elementary school named for both Barack AND Michelle Obama.

I-57 ???

Ahh, forgot about I-57. It appears to be the only local freeway without a name.

It does, in fact, have a name, as does I-80.  They just are never used.

I-57 is the West Leg of the Dan Ryan Expressway, and I-80 is the Moline Expressway.

Maybe they'll name the Illiana after him.

I highly doubt it.  Obama is a Chicago Democrat, and the Illiana Expressway is in Will County.  The Will County Dems and Chicago Dems are not exactly friendly with each other.

So even if I-57 is technically part of the Dan Ryan, in my mind, and I'm sure for a lot of people, I-94 and I-57 are different highways, because they have different numbers.  I-57 is definitely ripe for a renaming from "Dan Ryan" to something else.  And irrespective of politics, I believe that any president or great
political leader should get something prominent named for them in their hometown.

CA-118 Ronald Reagan Freeway (goes near the Reagan library in Simi Valley, CA)

I-57 Barack Obama Expressway

[roadman65]

My personal take is that people alive should not have roads, places, buildings, named after them.  It should be reserved for those who passed on. 

[english si]

^^ Yes, though maybe retired people count - ex-Presidents, etc.

Monarchs/Consorts being the exception to this.

[US71]

Bentonville, AR has Sam Walton Blvd, named before he kicked the bucket.

XNA has the Alice Walton Airport Terminal.

Little Rock, AR has Clinton Blvd

Texas has a George Bush Turnpike.

[roadman65]

Bentonville, AR has Sam Walton Blvd, named before he kicked the bucket.

XNA has the Alice Walton Airport Terminal.

Little Rock, AR has Clinton Blvd

Texas has a George Bush Turnpike.

I know my point exactly.

Then Reagan National Airport named when President Reagan was alive. 
Robert Moses Parkway, I believe, was named when Moses was still breathing.
Many municipal places around are named for local people who are around.

I don't know, to me things should be a memorial to people, even though we can honor are living as well for some reason it should be for those who have gone.

BTW, how come there are no places honoring the fallen in 9-11?  I believe only NJDOT did so in renaming the NJ 70 Manasquan River Bridge after those who died that fateful day, unless there are others around maybe on a smaller level,  However, still, no one named a major place yet after those victims which I feel is a something.  I would think that NYC would  at least name one bridge or tunnel after them, even if they have chosen to honor other prominent figures since then.  These heroes whether the WTC employees, the fireman, or police deserve at least something I would think.

[Scott5114]

Personally, were I important enough to have anything named after me, I'd find it more of an honor to have it named while I was alive to know about it.

[Legodinodoctor]

Just so you know our President now has a four lane arterial named in his sake in Orlando, FL from Conroy Road to MetroWest Boulevard just east of FL 435 along a power line right of way. It was opened this week just in time for his visit to our city.

I rode it yesterday, and it does help going from SB Kirkman to EB Conroy as now you can turn left onto LB McLeod to reach the new road and then south into Conroy.   That Conroy Kirkman light can be a nightmare at times. Turning SB to EB has a very short left turn signal.

There are interesting I-4 shields at its southern terminus with Conroy Road saying "TO JCT I-4" and a nice END Pres. Barack Obama Parkway and at the entrance to an apartment complex directly across from its southern end a "Private Property- No Through Access" assembly there.

I plan to submit a photo soon, and maybe I will send one to Hannity on Fox to make his day LOL!  Nonetheless, the signs could be of interest here as well as the TO JCT assemblies.  I have not gotten the chance yet to stop and taken pictures of this, plus my computer is being repaired as well.

There are way too many roads named after Martin Luther King.

[Zeffy]

There are way too many roads named after Martin Luther King.

Unfortunately, a very large % of the roads named after Dr. King are also part of the most dangerous areas in a city. How that got to happen is beyond me, but it's a pretty shitty problem when a guy who devoted his whole life to fighting segregation and black discrimination gets the honor of being on many street names in the US where violence is a problem among inner city youths. It's sad.

[Scott5114]

Presumably, a well-intentioned attempt was made to name streets after Dr. King in areas of the city with majority African-American populations. Unfortunately, that happened to be in the "bad part of town" fairly frequently...