Designate Memorial Highway for Deputy Longfellow

Summary#

HB 1021, “Designate Deputy Chris Longfellow Memorial Highway,” would add a section to Ohio’s Revised Code. It would name a specified part of U.S. Route 42 in Greene and Warren counties the “Deputy Chris Longfellow Memorial Highway”; the stated goal is to create that memorial designation. The bill is introduced and is not law.

  • The designation would cover Route 42 between its intersections with State Route 73 and Roxanna New Burlington Road.
  • The name would apply in addition to any other name already prescribed for the road.
  • Ohio’s director of transportation may erect markers showing the name; the bill does not require markers.

What it means for you#

  • Drivers and the public: The bill does not change the route, traffic rules, or access to the road. If enacted, the named stretch would have an additional memorial name.
  • Ohio Department of Transportation: The director may erect suitable markers, but the bill does not require the department to install them.
  • General public: The bill does not create a new service, benefit, fee, fine, or enforcement power.

Money#

No cost information is in the available material.

  • The bill allows the transportation director to erect markers but does not require them or provide a cost estimate.
  • Whether any markers would be installed, and who would pay for them, is not stated.

What is unclear#

  • The bill does not set a start date. It is introduced, so passage is uncertain.
  • It does not say whether or when markers would be installed.
  • No publicly available information is provided about the cost of markers or the funding source.

Case for#

  • A possible argument for the bill is that an official highway name can recognize Deputy Chris Longfellow.
  • The designation is limited to a specified stretch of road and does not change how the road operates.
  • The director may install markers, allowing the name to be displayed along the highway.

Case against#

  • The bill does not require markers, so the memorial name may not be visible to road users.
  • The bill does not state the cost or funding source if markers are installed.
  • A possible trade-off is that the designation adds another name to a road that may already have a name.