TAMPA, Fla. — A portion of the Courtney Campbell Causeway now has a new name: The Virginia Creighton Bridge.

Creighton was a longtime staff member for the Florida Department of Transportation who helped lead environmental efforts around the bridge.

Creighton’s two sons John and Daniel Creighton-Sinn, helped unveil the new sign at a ceremony on Monday.

Their mother, who was known to many as Ginger, died in 2020.

But state officials made sure that she will be remembered forever on the bridge.

“It’s an honor for my mother to be remembered like this," Daniel said. "It’s quite amazing."

Creighton’s name is now on a 229-foot portion of the Courtney Campbell Causeway over Old Tampa Bay.  

She was honored for the environmental studies she led, which helped improve water quality around the bridge.

“Water quality has gotten better, seagrass has benefited,” said FDOT District Secretary David Gwynn. “And Ginger really was the person who made this all come to fruition.”

Creighton served as the FDOT District 7 environmental permits coordinator from 2011 to 2020. She also spent more than 25 years working in environmental science for the state of Florida, according to FDOT.

Her work took place as FDOT continued other projects to improve driving on the Courtney Campbell. Gwynn pointed to projects like adding new traffic signals in areas where there have been high-speed crashes, while also trying to protect the water there.

“Every project we do, we’re always trying to see if there’s something we can do to improve the environment," Gwynn said. "Not just not make it worse, but to try and improve it."

The Florida Legislature just passed a bill to have the bridge renamed.