Newly elected State Rep. T.J. Roberts, a Republican from Burlington, wants to name a section of highway in rural Boone County after President Donald Trump. Now, the county’s fiscal court has backed the measure.
Roberts introduced House Joint Resolution 8 to the Kentucky House of Representatives Committee on Committees on Jan. 7. If passed, the resolution would direct the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to designate a portion of Kentucky Route 18 as “President Donald J. Trump Highway.” Roberts represents the 66th House District covering northwest Boone County.
On Jan. 21, Roberts presented his resolution to the Boone County Fiscal Court, seeking its endorsement. He read his legislation aloud to the court during the ‘new business’ section of the meeting.
Roberts, an ardent supporter of Trump, argues that the president made significant improvements to the United States during his first term in office, which lasted from 2017 to 2021. As such, Roberts believes Trump is worthy of recognition.
“Whereas, for his accomplishments in the past and for all the things he will do for our country over the next four years, President Trump is worthy of tangible recognition by the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” Roberts said.
KY-18, also known as Burlington Pike, is a state road that runs from Burlington to the shores of the Ohio River and through the small towns of Belleview and McVille. Roberts’ resolution seeks to rename mile point 0 to mile point 11.775 of KY-18.
The fiscal court unanimously passed a motion supporting Roberts’ legislation. Boone County Judge/Executive Gary Moore noted that the fiscal court does not have any power to tangibly impact the resolution’s outcome since KY-18 is under the jurisdiction of KYTC. For the resolution to become law, both chambers of the Kentucky General Assembly would need to approve it.
“We don’t have the power to change it ourselves,” Moore said. “We’re supporting the resolution, and the legislature will have to make the final decision.”
Roberts told the court he wanted to present the resolution to the legislative body because its passage would only impact residents of unincorporated Boone County.
“I feel as though I should go to you guys specifically because you guys are the only ones who are going to be impacted by this,” Roberts responded.
Roberts said the move was strictly an honorary designation, and no residents of that stretch of KY-18 would have to change their addresses.
Boone County resident Debra Waller asked Roberts and the fiscal court if it was the appropriate time to dedicate the road to a person who was already living, citing precedent that Boone County had traditionally named places after people who had already died.
“I do believe that when something is going to be named or designated after something, usually it seems as though the tradition is that you name it after someone after they have passed,” Waller said. “It is the Floyd Poore Memorial Highway and Dr. Waller Memorial Park, and so I’m thinking that this may be a little early for us to decide to name something.”
Moore responded by saying that Boone County has traditionally waited until after someone’s death. He mentioned Waller’s father, Dr. William Waller, as an example. Waller-Stephenson Mill Park in Verona was dedicated to Waller after his death in 2015.
“That has been the case from a county perspective of things that we are actually naming,” Moore said. “In this case, this is support for a bill, so it’s a state issue, but it’s a good point.”
Roberts said there is precedent for naming roadways after living individuals, including the Hal Rogers Parkway in eastern Kentucky and President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Expressway in Scranton, Penn.
Two stretches of road in the U.S. are named after Donald Trump: Donald Trump Boulevard in Palm Beach County, Florida and the Donald J. Trump Highway in the Oklahoma panhandle.
Last week, the Boone County Democratic Party posted a statement on its Facebook page opposing Roberts’ resolution, calling the move “inappropriate.”
“We stand united in opposition to the resolution proposed by TJ Roberts to name a segment of Highway 18 after Donald Trump,” read the post. “While we respect the office of the presidency, we believe it is inappropriate to name public infrastructure after a living individual, especially when there are countless unsung heroes in our own community who have made lasting contributions to our society.”
