HOUSTON – A petition to rename State Highway 99 after Houston Texans J.J. Watt has nearly 50,000 signatures.
The change.org petition is a call to Mayor Sylvester Turner and Gov. Greg Abbott to rename the highway, J.J. Watt Parkway as opposed to SH-99 Grand Parkway.
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Houstonian and creator of the petition, Lindsay Duke says on the website, the goal is to thank Watt for his standout fundraising efforts after Hurricane Harvey.
The petition states, "JJ Watt has been an exemplary humanitarian and Houstonian. He has given to our great city more than we could ever have asked for! Through his fundraising efforts over 12.6 million dollars was raised to aide Houstonians suffering loss due to Hurricane Harvey! As a token of our appreciation not only should SH 99 bear his number but also his name!"
On Sunday, August 27, Watt set up a fundraising page to raise money for victims of the catastrophic storm. One week later, over $17 million has been raised by 165,000 donors.
Duke's petition only needs 5,012 more signatures to reach the 50,000 signature goal. The petition will then be delivered to Turner and Abbott.
According to the Texas Department of Transportation, changes to the state highway system are approved by the Texas Transportation Commission. The website states, "Memorial Highways are named through the state legislature or by a local government which works with the appropriate TxDOT district for highway signing."
Since Harvey, Houstonians have rallied to help not only each other in disaster relief but also in recognizing city officials and humanitarians.
A GoFundMe page raised $19,000 (of a $4,000 goal) to send meteorologist with Harris County Flood Control District Jeff Lindner on a vacation.
Nearly 200,000 people signed a petition to declare August 26, "Mattress Mack Day" in Houston after his Gallery Furniture showroom as a shelter.