The late pop icon Prince is being honored by his home state of Minnesota in a big way. His ‘Royal Badness’ is set to have a portion of a major highway named in his honor.
On Friday, the Minnesota House passed a bill to rename a seven-mile stretch of Highway 5 to “Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway,” KARE 11 reports. The stretch runs from Prince’s hometown in Chanhassen and Eden Prairie, and past Prince’s recording studio turned tourist destination, Paisley Park.
The portion of the highway dedicated to the “Kiss” singer would include purple highway signs set to be installed in the summer of 2023.
“It’s a tremendous privilege to work with Minnesotans and all the advocates to recognize and honor Prince’s contributions to our state, our country, and the world,” Rep. Lucy Rehm (DFL-Chanhassen), who helped author the bill, said.
House File 717 was unanimously passed with a 121-0 vote by the Minnesota House on the seventh anniversary of Prince’s death at his home in Paisley Park. CBS News reports that the bill is working its way to the Senate before its expected signing by Gov. Tim Walz before the May 22 end of the 2023 session.
“It’s something that will last forever,” lifetime Prince fan Mary Ann Wasik said, “like his music.”
Mark Webster, a former security guard for the “Purple Rain” singer, spent the last three years pushing to have the portion of the highway renamed. He applauded the bipartisan move that politicians on both sides are working to get passed.
“What I felt today in the state capitol was 100-percent bipartisanship. Everybody was happy. Everybody wanted this to happen,” Webster said.
“This is for all the fans, for the people who love Prince. Prince gave a lot to us. This is about giving something back to Prince and honoring him and his legacy.”