Drivers and liberals can breathe easy: Central Expressway is still officially Central Expressway. The state legislature opted over the weekend to retain the familiar name for the roadway's entire length.
That said, the three-and-a-half mile stretch between Knox Street and Northwest Highway will also be called George W. Bush Expressway. The measure has now passed both chambers and was sent to the governor's desk over the weekend. All it needs now is Rick Perry's signature which, though the two men have had their differences, is not going to be withheld.
See also A Dallas Lawmaker Wants to Turn Central into George W. Bush Expressway The House Voted to Rename Central for George W. Bush
The Senate version of the bill would actually have changed the name to Presidential Library Expressway, which the Morning News' Tom Benning reports was intended to avoid confusion from having two North Texas freeways named for a former president George Bush. That option that was abandoned during a conference committee between the two chambers on Saturday.
The law takes effect in September, at which point the Texas Department of Transportation will erect signs so long as private donors chip in to cover the cost. Considering that they just built a quarter-billion-dollar presidential center, it seems that they'll have no trouble buying a couple of road signs.
