American Legion Post 229 is working to rename a section of U.S. 54 in honor of Lake of the Ozarks area veterans.
Byron Grimes and Commander Barlow Biggers of the Legion presented State Rep. Rocky Miller, R-Tuscumbia, with a petition to rename the stretch of highway through Lake Ozark and Osage Beach as Veterans Memorial Expressway.
Miller plans to introduce a bill on the matter during the 2015 legislative session. Miller said he also asked state Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, to introduce a similar bill in the Senate.
Under state law, a petition containing at least 100 signatures is required in order to have a stretch of roadway dedicated to an individual or group. Grimes said he has gathered nearly 400 signatures.
If the bill passes the legislature and is signed by the governor, it would rename 54 Expressway from the Osage River bridge in Lake Ozark to the western city limits of Osage Beach, near the Veterans Administration clinic.
In addition to the petitions, the American Legion must raise $4,800 to pay for the cost of having signage erected along the 9-mile stretch. Grimes said legion members plan to seek donations from local residents and businesses.
"Naming the expressway in their (veterans') memory would be our way of saying thanks to those who have given so much," Grimes said.