Arizona Department of Transportation Director John Halikowski said there's no need to rename the "Jefferson Davis Highway'' in Arizona because as far as his agency is concerned, it no longer exists.
In a letter to the Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic Names, Halikowski wrote there is no longer a U.S. 80 in Arizona, therefore there can be no designation.
That still doesn’t end the debate about the presence of Confederate monuments and markers. The rock and granite monument, which proclaims the “Jefferson Davis Highway,” now sits along U.S. 60 near Apache Junction.
"Now that we know that that highway no longer exists, it's ADOT's responsibility to move the monument," said Democratic Rep. Reginald Bolding.
"I'm not sure what statute or what, I'm not sure what they're looking at that tells them they don't have the authorization to move it," Bolding said.
An ADOT spokesperson said any discussion about removing the monument would mean coordinating with the private owner, which remains unclear.