From the names of notable Fort Worthians to the classic 鈥淏ridgey McBridgeface,鈥� Fort Worth residents submitted over 1,700 suggestions to rename the three bridges connected to the Panther Island Project.
Henderson Street bridge, North Main Street bridge and White Settlement bridge are all unofficial names. The city suggestions to rename the bridges in February 2022. Submissions closed in March.
Ten months later, Fort Worth City Council will revisit the name suggestions at an upcoming Jan. 24 work session. City staff will present the most popular themes of the names submitted by residents. The process of renaming the bridge was delayed while the city council focused on higher-priority issues, said Michelle Gutt, Fort Worth鈥檚 communications director.
The renaming on Panther Island bridges presents an opportunity to elevate notable figures of Fort Worth鈥檚 past, said Peter Mart铆nez, a history professor at Tarrant County College.
鈥淚 think that would be huge,鈥� Mart铆nez said.
The names will be reviewed by a committee of members from the city of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Tarrant Regional Water District, Streams & Valleys and Visit Fort Worth. The committee will then select five names to put forward for public voting, the city said.
The naming process has broader implications for White Settlement Road, which Mayor Mattie Parker said could be due for a change pending the renaming of White Settlement Bridge.
鈥淚 think from that we鈥檒l get some lessons learned to decide if and when we鈥檙e going to embark on White Settlement Road and what that would look like,鈥� Parker the Report.
Parker declined to comment this week on how the upcoming discussion about renaming the bridges might impact the renaming of White Settlement Road.
Pat Peterson, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and a founder of the , said she was disappointed in the lack of progress to rename White Settlement Road.
The road is named after the town it leads to,, which is enveloped by west Fort Worth. The name White Settlement refers to a group of homesteaders, under the protection of the soldiers in Fort Worth, that pushed out Native American tribes from the area.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what it鈥檚 going to take to get them up and moving and really get the ball rolling on it,鈥� Petersen said. 鈥淚 guess it鈥檚 just not a priority at this point.鈥�
Naming public infrastructure after the city鈥檚 history and including Native Americans in the process is a powerful way to incorporate history into the everyday lives of Fort Worth residents, said Marjeanna Burge, a citizen of the Comanche Nation.
Despite the city branding itself as 鈥渨here the West begins鈥� Native Americans have historically not been included in discussion about preserving Fort Worth鈥檚 history, Burge said.
鈥淣ative Americans are usually called the invisible minority,鈥� Burge said. 鈥淭o see something publicly that acknowledges our existence is exciting鈥� Native American people were the original inhabitants, but we are missing in the public eye, in the way of historical significance.鈥�
Several suggestions included the names of notable Native American figures and tribes, including Wichita, Comanche and Tawakoni. Several residents suggested Bridge; Parker was the last chief of the Quahada Comanche Indians.
鈥淭he name not only shines a light on little known Native American history but also plays into the 鈥淲estern鈥� culture of Fort Worth,鈥� a response read.
Other respondents urged council members to honor notable Latino figures in the Fort Worth community, such as and. People also suggested and. Other suggestions include Spanish words such as Tejano, a word used to identify Texan Mexican Americans.
鈥淔ort Worth lacks the representation of these individuals in the (Latino) community,鈥� one respondent said. 鈥淭he culture should be promoted and celebrated.鈥�
Naming a bridge after significant local figures of Latino descent would help incorporate Mexican American history into the fabric of the city, Mart铆nez said.
鈥淚 think it gives a bigger narrative and more significance to the legacy of the Mexican American people in the city of Fort Worth,鈥� Mart铆nez said.
Mart铆nez offered his own suggestions of notable Texas Latinos, including and .
Both Mart铆nez and Burge urge city leaders to engage with Latino and Native American communities and allow them to discuss how best to represent their communities鈥� history through the naming of infrastructure.
Names of historical figures
Several anonymous respondents offered explanations for their submissions. One, who suggested the bridges be named after , and said the bridges should be named after individuals who contributed to Fort Worth鈥檚 development.
鈥淥ne dedicated to our traditional history, one to justice and equality, and another to our future moral purpose,鈥� the respondent said.
Many other people suggested a single name. Some of the most popular answers include Bridge. Zapata was the first Hispanic member of Fort Worth鈥檚 City Council.
鈥淗e was very instrumental in helping the Hispanic community prosper,鈥� one response read.
Other suggestions included naming a bridge after . Former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean was recently of manslaughter in the death of Jefferson in her home Oct. 12, 2019. Fort Worth City Council will consider in memory of Jefferson. The council meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10.
鈥淪he deserves to be remembered,鈥� a respondent wrote.
Army Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Burgess Memorial Bridge is another popular suggestion. Burgess, a Cleburne native, March 29, 2011, while serving in Afghanistan.
鈥淧lease choose the North Main Bridge since Bryan loved to visit the Historic Stockyards every time he came home,鈥� a response read.
Opal Lee and Leon Bridges were also popular suggestions.
Some submissions focused on themes. Residents suggested words with a Western flair such as Stockyards Road, Longhorn and Bluebonnet. Other submissions invoked values such as friendship and heritage.
Several submissions of the long-planned Central City Flood Control Project, also known as the Panther Island Project. The project recently in federal funding, following decades of doubt about the handling of the massive flood control project.
Several respondents suggested 鈥渂oondoggle鈥� as the new name for the bridges.
Less serious submissions
Some didn鈥檛 approach the survey quite as earnestly. Some respondents stuck with suggesting historical figures. One, who suggested Bruce Lee, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin D Roosevelt offered a simple explanation for their choices: 鈥淛ust some cool people.鈥� Hard to argue with that.
Another respondent turned to bribery to promote his suggestions of: Bridgey McBridgeface, Bridgey McBridgeface Jr. and Bridgey McBridgeface III.
鈥淧lease have mine win. Please. I鈥檒l give you a hug,鈥� the submission urged.
Another embraced Fort Worth鈥檚 long-standing rivalry with its neighbor to the east, suggesting: Dallas Sucks Bridge No. 1, Dallas Sucks Bridge No. 2 and Dallas Sucks Bridge No. 3. The respondent offered some wiggle room, though.
鈥淚t鈥檚 more of a theme than anything,鈥� they said. 鈥淔eel free to run with it.鈥�
Some suggestions sought to memorialize events, including: 鈥� Memorial Bridge.鈥�
The proposer offered this as an explanation: 鈥淕o, bridges!鈥�
