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Naming
of Roads and Bridges
The Division of Highways
does not ordinarily select names for roads and bridges, although,
once the name has been properly assigned and verified, the Traffic
Engineering Division will arrange to have identifying signs erected
in the proper locations.
The following are the procedures for assigning names to bridges and
to different classes of highways:
Bridges
The naming of any bridge must be accomplished by a Joint Resolution
passed by both houses of the West Virginia Legislature. If the
bridge lies within a municipality, this action should be initiated
by action of the City Council. Upon receipt of a copy of the Joint
Resolution, the Division of Highways will erect appropriate
identification signs.
Interstate Highways
The National System of Interstate and Defense Highways is named in
its entirety for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who signed the bill
establishing the Interstate System on June 29, 1956. Certain
individual segments of West Virginia's Interstates have also been
named; for instance, I-79 from Charleston to the Pennsylvania State
Line is called the Jennings Randolph Highway.
The Interstate Highway System comprises a regional and national
system of highways. Motorists usually navigate by route numbers,
therefore names have little or no meaning. As a result, the naming
of Interstate routes is usually discouraged. Where Interstates are
named, the names may be posted only at the termini of the routes and
in rest areas or other locations where the signing is
inconspicuously located with regard to traffic operations along the
highway.
Other Expressways and Primary Roads
Expressways and other highways in cities will ordinarily be named by
the City Council, in accordance with the municipality's normal
street naming conventions. The Division of Highways does not post
street markers at intersections on municipal streets, although the
street name may appear on guide signs.
Expressways and primary roads in rural areas may be named by a joint
resolution of the West Virginia Legislature, following the same
procedure as that established for bridges.
County Routes in Rural Areas
All requests for naming or renaming secondary roads must be
accompanied by petition signed by two-thirds of all residents living
on the road to be renamed. The petition must be on file in the
Division of Highways offices before the signs can be installed or
changed. Additionally, the emergency services providers within each
county must concur with the name designation before the Division of
Highways will install signs with the new road name.
These roads will be marked with signs that contain only the name of
the road and the route number.
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