A stretch of highway in southeast Iowa is just one step away from being named the Jay N. Ding Darling Memorial Highway. Late last year, the Brighton Chamber of Commerce began seeking approval from every city and county Highway 78 from Hedrick to 218 passes through.
Chamber member Rosemary Pacha says the proposal has been sent to the Iowa Department of Transportation for their approval. They aren’t sure how long that will take, but with approval from all the impacted cities and counties, and Governor Branstad’s blessing, they hope to hear from the department soon.
On February 12th, the day Lake Darling’s dam was closed, the governor gave the Friends of Lake Darling a proclamation saying he was ready to sign off on the memorial highway proposal. That proclamation also officially made February 12th Ding Darling Day in Iowa, the day of the conservationist’s death.
If the proposal is approved, Pacha says they’ll begin raising funds and applying for grants to pay for the new signs.