Route 29 in Arlington County has been officially renamed Langston Boulevard after the county board voted to drop a confederate general’s name.
The road's new name honors John M. Langston, the first Black person elected to Congress from Virginia, officials say.
The Lee Highway name won’t functionally change until 2022 — so it will still appear on signs and addresses for several months, the Arlington County Board said in a press release.
Residents and businesses can expect to have until April 2022 to change signage; no one will need to file a change of address with the post office, the board said.
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Arlington County officials say the name change will better reflect community values.
“Removal of both ‘Highway’ and ‘Lee’ serve the overarching goals of creating a welcoming Main Street and also takes an important step in reconciling the history of racial discrimination and intimidation embodied by the ‘Lee’ name,” Arlington County’s FAQ says.
Lee Highway was named in 1922 after confederate general Robert E. Lee, according to the Lee Highway Alliance.
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The cost to rename the road is estimated at $300,000.
