If all goes as planned, a new bridge being built over Lake Lanier north of Gainesville will bear the name of Dep. Nicolas Blane Dixon, the Hall County Sheriff's Office deputy who was shot and killed in the line of duty last July.
SR 844 is currently in the State Senate hopper, awaiting a final vote.
Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch said the idea to name a bridge for Dixon came to him last September as he was traveling in the area. He noticed a couple of roadways named for other fallen law enforcement officers. Then, as he traveled Cleveland Highway a short time later, he thought about the two bridges under construction on the highway, realizing one of those might be the perfect memorial for Dixon.
So, the sheriff contacted Hall County government officials and learned the bridge at Bell's Mill Hill had not been named. With that information in hand, Couch contacted Sen. Butch Miller to ask if he would file a resolution to have the bridge named in Dixon's memory.
"It’s a major thoroughfare through Hall County," Couch said. “I certainly wanted to honor Deputy Dixon and make sure his sacrifice was not forgotten by this community and future generations of law enforcement officers. They will see those signs and remember him. Also, a good portion of the Dixon family regularly travels Cleveland Highway. This is one way to let them know that we will not forget.”
Couch will be a guest Friday morning on WDUN's Morning Talk with Martha Zoller to talk about how how the plan is progressing.
