Savannah’s Talmadge Bridge is a step closer to a new name. Here’s what’s being considered

After just over a month of discussion, Savannah’s City Council endorsed a name change for the Talmadge Bridge on Thursday afternoon.

A unanimous vote involving Mayor Eddie DeLoach and the City Council resulted in support to rename it The Savannah Bridge.

Discussions began after the violence in Charlottesville, Va., and soon after City Council announced it would be voting to change the bridge’s name.

The endorsement in and of itself will not change the name of the bridge. A resolution will need to go to Gov. Nathan Deal and the state legislature.

“In the past week we have seen many acts of violence that have been committed in the name of hate and racism,” Mayor Eddie DeLoach said during an August council meeting. “We must all denounce these forms of domestic terrorism and rally around each other in the name of peace and unity. We must not just be on the right side of history; we must write the right version of history.”

A public forum was held on Sept. 5 was met with overwhelming support for the name change.

The name of the Talmadge Bridge has been a controversial topic in Savannah for several years. The name honors former Georgia Gov. Eugene Talmadge, known for his racist 1946 campaign that promised to reinstate “white only” primary elections.

This story was originally published September 28, 2017 at 5:16 PM with the headline "Savannah’s Talmadge Bridge is a step closer to a new name. Here’s what’s being considered."