Jeff Davis Highway In Arlington Is No More

ARLINGTON, VA -- It's official: the Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board has unanimously approved changing the name of Jefferson Davis Highway in Arlington County.

From here on out, Route 1 and 110 will be named Richmond Highway, removing the honor from the president of the Confederacy.

"Good news," tweeted Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. "Glad to see unanimous support for this change from the Commonwealth Transportation Board."

The change is part of a broader national movement to take down statues and memorials honoring Confederate leaders and generals. Proponents of the move argue that those who fought to preserve the institution of slavery during the Civil War should not be honored, while critics claim that taking down such memorials amount to erasing history.

The move follows an identical one by Alexandria last year. The city council voted unanimously to rename their stretch of Route 1 to Richmond Highway after three years of discussion. The change took effect Jan. 1.