“I think we would be remiss, having this opportunity, if we did nothing,” Hedges said Thursday.
Construction of the $5.6 million reroute of a section of Ohio 123, from downtown Lebanon onto Ohio 63 south of the city center, is to be completed in late summer or early fall.
No official vote has been cast, but Lebanon City Council has given unanimous support to naming the road after Armstrong, Councilman James Norris said.
Armstrong, 82, lived in Cincinnati before his death on Aug. 25, 2012. But he lived for more than a decade on Ohio 123, between Lebanon and Springboro, just south of the town of Red Lion.
Efforts were also under way to name the stretch of Ohio 123 leading into Red Lion after Armstrong, “one of the greatest men of our lifetime,” Hedges said in a letter thanking the city council for its support.
A new three-lane road is being built from Ohio 63 (Main Street in Lebanon), at the intersection with Glosser Road to Ohio 123, (Franklin Road in Lebanon), at the intersection with Hart Road.
“The project will also include a 10-foot bike path on the west side and sidewalk on the east side to provide connectivity to surrounding sidewalks,” according to a description of the project on the city web site.
The road will be named in Armstrong’s memory upon completion of the construction and approval of a plat establishing the new route, City Manager Pat Clements said.
“Since we don’t have a completion date for the project yet, there have been no detailed plans made for a dedication ceremony. We expect this to take place sometime this summer,” Clements said in an email.
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