Part of Highway 169 renamed to honor Tulsa Police Sgt. Craig Johnson

It was a somber day on Wednesday but one that was also filled with a lot of deep respect and appreciation, as the state renamed part of Highway 169 in Tulsa in honor of fallen Tulsa Police Sgt. Craig Johnson.

Johnson was fatally shot during a traffic stop in June of 2020.

New highway signs were also installed to designate the Sgt. Craig Johnson Memorial Highway on Highway 169 between the Broken Arrow Expressway and 81st street.

During a ceremony on Wednesday morning to mark the occasion, Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin says he likes the fact they chose the area near Union High School, where Sgt. Johnson went to high school.

“Even more, it gives his two sons the ability to drive across that highway when they come of age and know each and every time they cross that highway that, there’s their dad, right there,” Franklin said.

State Secretary of Transportation Tim Gatz said there’s nothing they can do to match the magnitude of Sgt. Johnson’s sacrifice, but he said by renaming the highway, they could at least be sure that nobody will ever forget it.

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