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Aug 27, 2023

Road signs installed on highway renamed in honor of Prince

The latest entertainment headlines, delivered straight to your email inbox. Whether driving in their “Little Red Corvette,” or making their way to “Alphabet St.,” motorists in Minnesota will

The latest entertainment headlines, delivered straight to your email inbox.

Whether driving in their “Little Red Corvette,” or making their way to “Alphabet St.,” motorists in Minnesota will officially know they are traveling on what some are unofficially calling “The Purple Highway.”

That’s because a stretch of highway in Chanhassen, Minnesota, was recently renamed in honor of Prince.

On Thursday, Minnesota Department of Transportation crews installed signs on the roadway, which is officially known as Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway.

Seven miles of Highway 5 near Paisley Park were recently renamed in honor of “The Purple One.”

As a nod to the artist's legacy — which many associate with the color purple because of his hit "Purple Rain" — the signs are purple.

"This is really substantial and significant for a musical legend Minnesotan,” the music legend’s friend, Sam Cooke, told WCCO.

Another of Prince’s friends, Mark Webster, funded the project to purchase and install four purple signs along the highway. It’s an effort 3 ½ years in the making.

"This is my job. I never worked for him but I think I'm working for him now, so I'm trying to do the best I can in his honor to make things right,” Webster said.

Prince’s sister, Sharon L. Nelson, attended the sign dedication ceremony and said his family is grateful to Webster for getting the signs installed.

"You know Prince's DNA is all up and down this highway right? For so many years! He really was. We're going to remember every time we pass this way...every great song he's ever made,” she told WCCO.

Before the signs could be installed, a bill had to pass the Minnesota state Legislature, and state Sen. Julia Coleman led the charge to see that “The High Priest of Pop” was honored.

"It's a bi-partisan bill, a bi-partisan effort to honor a great man and Chanhassen's favorite neighbor,” Coleman, who is a Republican from Carver County, said.

In identical Facebook and Twitter posts, the Minnesota Department of Transportation informed motorists about the new signs.

“The signs are up! Paying tribute to the legend, the @Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway is officially marked with purple signs,” the Minnesota Department of Transportation wrote, also posting pictures of the signs.

The department realizes that motorists and Prince fans will likely want to admire the signs — or even take photos with them. State transportation officials told WCCO that they are asking drivers not to pull over on the highway to take photos. Instead, there is trail access to Paisley Park. That’s where fans can safely snap a picture.