Are Cumberland, Fayetteville officials considering removing Bragg references?

Whether Fayetteville and Cumberland County will rename roads that reference Fort Bragg has not yet been decided.

Fort Bragg will be redesignated to Fort Liberty on June 2, following the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act’s mandate to change the names of Department of Defense assets that commemorate the confederacy.

Fort Bragg is currently named after North Carolina native Braxton Bragg, an artillery officer who fought in the Mexican-American War, was a Confederate general in the Civil War and was associated with being a slave owner.

Last month, Fort Bragg officials announced nine roads on post, including Bragg Boulevard and Reilly Road, will also be renamed.

During a March 28 media roundtable meeting, Don Nauck, director of the Task Force Liberty Committee estimated that costs for the change will be more than $4 million, while the Renaming Commission expects costs to be more than $6.3 million.

Costs to local cities are not being tracked, Nauck said during the March 28 roundtable.

“We’re not mandating anyone downtown or any city or county to change any names of any businesses (or streets) downtown,” Nauck said. “It’s totally up to the (local government entity).”

In their report to Congress, the Renaming Commission recommended that the federal government support non-Department of Defense federal, state and local communities near the Army posts that will be renamed “by providing financial means for the renaming of their assets.”    

Cities and local government will have to seek compensation from the federal government if officials decide to change a road or sign off post tied to the Fort Bragg name change, Nauck said.

More: These 9 Fort Bragg roads will be renamed

Will Fayetteville make changes?

Fayetteville has been part of stakeholder meetings during the renaming process.

Mayor Mitch Colvin said Friday that city officials have had preliminary discussions about potential impacts to the city but held off on official discussions until the Army and Fort Bragg announced their official decisions.

“Now that Fort Bragg is closer to transitioning to Fort Liberty, I do think there will be more discussions about streets,” Colvin said.

Because Bragg Boulevard off post is a state-owned highway, the mayor said he would expect collaboration with the North Carolina Department of Transporation and Cumberland County along with a public meeting to allow residents to have the chance to comment on any possible changes in the city.

“Right now, we have a lot going on in the city, but I do foresee that being a conversation in the next few months,“ Colvin said.

More: Should Murchison Road be renamed?

State highways

Andrew Barksdale, a spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, said that while Bragg Boulevard is a state-maintained road, it is technically known to the state as N.C. 24-87.

Any name change would be within the purview of Cumberland County for address and 911 purposes, while street name signs are replaced or repaired by cities and counties, he said.

Brian Haney, a spokesperson for Cumberland County, has said county leadership has been engaged in stakeholder discussions about Fort Bragg's renaming process, but has not indicated any there have been further discussions since officials announced the roads that will be renamed on post.

Loren Bymer, a spokesman for the city of Fayetteville, said if the county had a stakeholder and public involvement process that would cause road name changes in Cumberland County's addressing, then the city would be responsible for road signs at intersections in Fayetteville.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is responsible for any large guide or directional signing on adjacent routes, Bymer and Barksdale said.

Barksdale said the cost to change state highway overhead and directional signs along Interstates 95 and 295 and major routes in the region from Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty will be about $500,000.

A contract to make the changes to the highway signs will be executed at some point after the June 2 redesignation ceremony at the post and the changes are expected to be completed by the end of the year, he said.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Will Bragg Boulevard and Bragg Road get new names?