I-57 could become Barack Obama Highway after Rep. Rush introduces bill

WASHINGTON (WLS) -- There's a new push to rename parts of Interstate 57 to honor former President Barack Obama.

U.S. Congressman Bobby Rush introduced the bill Wednesday in Washington.

If passed, I-57 in Illinois would become known as "Barack Obama Highway."

RELATED: Chicago City Council meeting devolves into chaos, Lake Shore Drive vote postponed

Rush said the name change would be a constant reminder of President Obama's legacy, and it would honor his early political career in Illinois.

I-57 is the only Chicago-area expressway that does not have a commonly used name, Rush said in a news release. I-57 is a north-south interstate that runs through Missouri and Illinois, and parallels the old Illinois Central Railroad for much of its route, he said.

A portion of Interstate 55, between the I-294 Tristate Expressway and mile marker 202 near Pontiac, was dubbed the Barack Obama Presidential Expressway by the Illinois General Assembly in 2017.