Trump Highways: Lawmakers Propose Naming Several Heartland Roads After the President

Several highways in Missouri may be named after President-elect Trump in the upcoming legislation.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the most expansive reported bill would give Trump's name to carriageways of the Missouri state highway system that have not yet been designated otherwise before next August.

The bill, introduced by state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, excludes roadways in counties that include St. Louis, Columbia, and Kansas City, according to the paper.

In 2021, Coleman proposed a bill to rename a section of Interstate 55 in her district as the "Donald J. Trump Highway," but the initiative was unsuccessful in the Republican-dominated legislature.

Under both the old and new plans, MoDOT would install and maintain the commemorative markers, but private contributions would cover the cost of the signs.

A proposal from state Sen. Nick Schroer, R-St. Charles, suggests designating a section of MO Route D west of St. Louis as the "President Donald J. Trump Highway."

Schroer declared in a social media post that it's time to revive Missouri's roads with his bill.

An image of Trump performing his famous "Y.M.C.A." dance on the shoulder of a highway was included in the post, alongside a "President Donald J. Trump Highway" sign.

Attempts to reach both Schroer and Coleman for further comment were unsuccessful.

Missouri Senate President Pro-Tempore Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, was contacted by Planet Chronicle Digital.

In her 2021 bill announcement, Coleman praised Trump for "fortifying Missouri's economy, safeguarding our principles, and revitalizing America in his unprecedented first term."

Missouri lawmakers have attempted to honor other national conservatives, including the late radio host Rush Limbaugh, who was born and raised in Cape Girardeau.

The bill did not include a language to commemorate Jan. 12 as "Rush Limbaugh Day."

Highways in politically-unfriendly areas outside Missouri have Trump's name on them.

In 2019, a man claimed portions of Burke Lake Road and Fairfax County Rte. 620 in the deep-blue Washington, D.C., suburb of Springfield, Virginia, as his own in Trump's name.

The man successfully had the incoming president's name displayed on VDOT adopt-a-highway signage on heavily-trafficked Ox Road in nearby Lorton, according to the Washingtonian.

In 2021, Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed legislation designating a 20-mile stretch of U.S. 287 in the state’s panhandle as "Trump Highway."

In 2023, Hialeah, Florida, Mayor Esteban Bovo joined Trump at a rally in the Miami suburb and presented him with a commemorative sign after an avenue near a casino in the city was named Donald J. Trump Avenue.

In Putnam Valley, New York, a 430-acre parkland bears the name of Donald J. Trump, who donated the land to the state in 2006.

In 1998, Trump bought the land for $2.5 million, but was unable to develop a golf course due to town permit issues, so he sold it to Albany.

The park named after former President Donald J. Trump has deteriorated and is mostly neglected. New York Democrats have made several attempts to remove Trump's name from the park, including a 2019 bill to rename it after the woman who was killed during the 2017 Charlottesville riot.

Following Trump's conviction in his hush-money trial in May, New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal expressed hope that it would spur renewed discussions about renaming the park.

Hoylman-Sigal, a Democrat, stated that he has observed "some improvements" in the park since it was given to the Pataki administration by Trump.