A new bridge linking Kentucky and Indiana is in need of a name, and Yum Brands—the parent company of KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut—wants to name it after Colonel Harland Sanders. Why? Because this is America, the fast food nation, and naming a bridge after fried chicken just makes sense. Frankly, we’re surprised this hasn’t already happened.
Yum Brands began its #ColonelBridge campaign on Twitter back in February with a photo illustration of Sanders over a rendering of the Ohio River Bridges Project.
A bridge connecting Col. Sanders’ birthplace to where he created his recipe is being named. RT to vote #ColonelBridge pic.twitter.com/WNtPIVATmY
— KFC (@kfc) February 7, 2014
The popularity of the campaign has only picked up in recent months, and according to USA Today, “subsequent posts with the hashtag ColonelBridge this month have garnered about 400 retweets.”
I wonder if they can make the bridge supports look like giant chicken legs? Yes, The Colonel Harland Sanders Memorial Bridge #ColonelBridge
— Dirk Rader (@dirrad) April 7, 2014
The other option that has been floating around is designating the bridge as the Ronald W. Reagan Memorial bridge. Boooring.
What makes Sanders just as worthy (if not more) of having his name plastered on a bridge? His history, like the bridges, lies both in Indiana and Kentucky: The Colonel was born in Henryville, Indiana, and founded KFC in Corbin, Kentucky.
The $2.64 billion bridge-building project features two new toll bridges between Louisville and Southern Indiana, and is meant to improve cross-river mobility between the two cities.
In order to get the name approved, KFC will have to submit a written petition to the transportation cabinet before going through a public hearing.
[via Courier Journal]
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