A 35-0 Senate vote Tuesday gave final passage to a bill that aims to add signs to notify motorists on I-10 coming from Texas and Mississippi that they are entering the Home of the Who Dat Nation. Bill author New Orleans Senator Wesley Bishop says the idea to honor Saints fans came following the controversial end of the Saints post season.
“Particularly in the weeks after the loss to the Rams, many folks felt as though we were unfairly treated and had that call gone the way that most folks thought it would have, we’ve been in the Super Bowl,” said Bishop.
Originally, the bill called for I-10 to be renamed the Who Dat Nation Highway, but it was already named in honor of veterans. The signs will be placed at the state lines of I-10 as well as the exit for the Superdome.
Bishop says Franklin Representative Sam Jones added a provision to the bill designating Highway 90 from Raceland to Lafayette as the “Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Highway.”
“He has a long history with Governor Blanco, and so when it came up on the floor, he decided he wanted to add that. Then he spoke to me about it and I told him I was honored to have that as a part of the bill that I had filed,” said Bishop.
Bishop says a metal banner with the message “Home of the Who Dat Nation” will be added to existing road signs, and they will be funded by fans.
“The cost is minimal, but I’ve had several individuals to contact me, contact my office, and contact the Capital also, who wanted to do that, so it’s the fans that will end up paying for it,” said Bishop.
