Alexandria renames highway that honored Jefferson Davis

The Alexandria City Council unanimously voted this week to rename Jefferson Davis Highway, the latest move in a nationwide push to discontinue recognizing Confederate leaders.

The road will be named Richmond Highway beginning on Jan. 1, The Washington Post reported Saturday.

Discussions to change the Virginia road, named after the Confederate president, intensified after the Charleston church shooting in 2015 left nine people dead.

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Richmond Highway is the name of the road in neighboring Fairfax County.

It will cost about $27,000 to change the road signs, The Post reported.

A section of the road that splits into Patrick and Henry streets will not be renamed.

Arlington County cannot legally name the portion of the road outside of city limits without the General Assembly’s approval.

There has been a massive push to rename markers and landmarks named after members of the Confederacy following the Charleston shooting and the Charlottesville, Va., white supremacy rally last year.

An elementary school in Richmond decided this month to rename a school after former President Obama instead of Confederate general J.E.B. Stuart.

A section of a Baltimore park that once held Confederate statues has been renamed in March after Harriet Tubman.