Raphael Semmes Road—originally named after an officer in the Confederate Navy—will soon be called Veterans Drive under a plan to modernize roadways on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge.
The roadway, which will be home to LSU’s new Veterans Center, is among more than two dozen to undergo a name change on campus. The name change is consistent with other military memorials in the area, such as Memorial Tower, Memorial Oak Grove and Veterans’ Memorial on the Parade Grounds, says LSU spokesman Ernie Ballard.
Some of the roadways set to get new names are currently unnamed. The changes are coming after LSU developed and approved a Master Plan Roadway Naming Modernization Plan, which also includes adding physical addresses to campus buildings. The plan has been in the works for more than a year, Ballard says.
It was established to improve navigation on the campus, and create criteria for naming and renaming campus roadways. In the past, the naming of roadways on campus has not followed any set criteria.
Street signs will be changed and added soon. There are no plans to change the names of any campus buildings. See the full list of roadways that are getting a name change.
