Route 88 bridge could be named after local Marine
Legislation that would name the new Route 88 bridge over Ten Mile Creek after Marine Lt. Gen. William M. Keys was approved Monday by a state House committee.
The House Transportation Committee unanimously approved legislation introduced by state Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson to name the bridge after Keys.
The bridge connects Jefferson Township in Greene County and East Bethlehem Township in Washington County.
After graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1960, Keys served as company commander with the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, during the Vietnam War, where he led units against the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong. He later served as commanding general of the 2nd Marine Division during Desert Storm in Iraq.
During his 34 years of service, Keys has been awarded the Navy Cross and Silver Star among other honors. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1994.
“General Keys is a Washington County native, and I am extremely pleased that my first bill would honor a man of his statue,” Snyder said. “He truly is a man deserving of such an honor.”
The bill now goes to the full House for a vote.
Snyder noted that Sen. Tim Solobay is moving similar legislation in the upper chamber.