By Sydney Byerly
The Indiana Citizen
October 2, 2025
Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith wants to honor Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist killed in September by putting his name on a bridge in Indiana.
Beckwith announced his idea for “Charlie Kirk Unity Bridge,” a pedestrian crossing meant to symbolize connection and dialogue, echoing what he described as Kirk’s lifelong mission of bringing people together through debate and faith.
Beckwith said the “Charlie Kirk Unity Bridge” would honor Kirk’s legacy of fostering conversation and community.
“Just as bridges link our communities, his legacy reminds us to keep building connections with one another,” Beckwith said in a statement.
He added that the project would reflect Kirk’s emphasis on debate, dialogue and faith.
In addition to serving as lieutenant governor, Beckwith is pastor at Life Church in Noblesville, where he hosted a memorial service for Kirk on Sept. 14. Beckwith praised Kirk’s influence while speaking on FlashPoint, a conservative internet talk show and conference series, on Sept. 22, saying he was “thankful for what God did in Charlie’s life and how he left an amazing ripple effect, with the gospel being declared throughout the entire world.”
Beckwith has not specified a desired location for the bridge, leaving it unclear how the naming process would move forward. However, in a Sept. 26 interview on WOWO radio, the lieutenant governor mused about putting the bridge in the northwestern region of the state because it is close to Kirk’s home town of Chicago.
“It’s just a way to honor him and secure his legacy for generations to come,” Beckwith said on WOWO. “I think it would be really appropriate for Indiana to do that.”
Indiana doesn’t have one set law for naming bridges, but there’s a common way it usually happens.
For state-owned bridges, lawmakers pass a resolution asking the Indiana Department of Transportation to make the change, and INDOT implements the change because it is the government body overseeing the state’s roadways. In practice, INDOT has consistently followed through on naming resolutions adopted by lawmakers. Local governments handle their own bridges, often requiring petitions and public hearings before a name is approved. Governors technically can rename a state bridge by executive order, but that option is rarely used.
In recent years, lawmakers in the General Assembly have passed several resolutions honoring fallen service members or notable Hoosiers with commemorative signage and renaming roads, highways and bridges. For example, in 2023 the General Assembly passed House Concurrent Resolution 5 to urge INDOT to rename the bridge on State Highway 27 over I-70 in Richmond as the “Officer Seara Burton Memorial Bridge,” honoring a local police officer who was shot and killed during a traffic stop in September 2022.
Beckwith’s latest call reflects a larger push to memorialize Kirk.
Across the country, Republicans have organized high-profile tributes to Kirk. On Sept. 19, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed S.Res.403, designating Oct. 14, 2025, Kirk’s birthday, as a “National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk.” Meanwhile, in Ohio, state senators introduced Senate Bill 271 on Sept. 29, to declare Oct. 14 “Charlie Kirk Memorial Day.”
Beckwith’s bridge proposal, if accomplished, would add a permanent memorial to Kirk in Indiana, placing his name alongside Hoosiers honored with public landmarks.
“The Charlie Kirk Unity Bridge will serve as a lasting reminder that true strength is not in dividing, but in uniting,” Beckwith said in his official statement.
Sydney Byerly is a political reporter who grew up in New Albany, Indiana. Before joining The Citizen, Sydney reported news for TheStatehouseFile.com and most recently managed and edited The Corydon Democrat & Clarion News in southern Indiana. She earned her bachelor’s in journalism at Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism (‘Sco Griz!).
The Indiana Citizen is a nonpartisan, nonprofit platform dedicated to increasing the number of informed and engaged Hoosier citizens. We are operated by the Indiana Citizen Education Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity. For questions about the story, contact Marilyn Odendahl at marilyn.odendahl@indianacitizen.org.
