Paul Buck / EPA file

Chuck Norris.

BRATISLAVA -- Slovak officials rejected the overwhelming results of a popular Internet campaign to name a new pedestrian and cycling bridge near the capital after U.S. action film star Chuck Norris.

Despite 12,599 votes for the Norris name in a two-month online poll, Bratislava regional assembly decided to call the bridge spanning the Morava river and Slovakia's border with Austria the "Freedom Cycling-Bridge" in memory of people killed attempting to escape communist eastern Europe.

The assembly's choice earned only 457 votes in the online poll, where it was easily outshone by other proposed names, including "Maria Theresa" after an Austro-Hungarian empress and "the Devinska cycling bridge" in honor of a nearby village.

"We have unanimously voted for the Freedom Cycling-Bridge," Bratislava region chairman Pavol Freso told reporters.

"It truly is a place where people were running for freedom through barbed wire, it is a place where many have died, so this is a dignified way how to honor these people."

Slovakia, once part of the former Czechoslovakia, has a 107 km border with Austria and many people died trying to flee the communist regime before its collapse in 1989.

Norris, a martial arts expert-turned film star, is known for playing tough guy characters in such classic movies as "Lone Wolf McQuade", "Missing in Action" and "The Delta Force."

The actor's work has become a popular source of kitschy fun among Slovaks and a mainstay for local jokes about macho strength and invincibility.

Related content:

• Chuck Norris accuses Obama of trying to create 'pro-gay' Boy Scouts
• Norris: America faces '1,000 years of darkness' if Obama wins

Chuck Norris and his wife Gena made a YouTube video encouraging evangelical Christians to oust President Barack Obama, with Norris warning that the nation stands on the brink of "socialism or something much worse."

Gena Norris also quotes a 1964 speech by Ronald Reagan, saying that failed actions "will sentence (our children) to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness." Reagan gave the speech on behalf of then-presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, who went on to lose to Lyndon Johnson by one of the largest margins in history.

In the video, Norris warns that the nation "may be lost forever if we don't change the course our country is taking."

Norris also says "our great country and freedom are under attack," while Gena says that 30 million evangelical Christians failed to vote in 2008, resulting in Barack Obama winning the presidency by 10 million votes.

Norris is far from the only celebrity to interject himself into political discourse recently. Actor Clint Eastwood captured headlines by pretending an empty chair was President Obama at last week's Republican National Convention, and singer Ted Nugent has issued numerous controversial remarks about Obama in the past months.

Related content:

• Obama still a 'huge Clint Eastwood fan'
• Bill Nye the Science Guy asks parents not to raise creationist kids
• Conventions are here, where are the celebs?

CBS

Chuck Norris in "Walker, Texas Ranger."

At last, someone might be able to successfully cross Chuck Norris.

The “Walker, Texas Ranger” star and martial arts specialist may be immortalized abroad this year, as Slovakians are uniting to have a bridge named in his honor.

The actor leads two other contenders in a landslide public vote to choose the name of a new pedestrian and cycling walkway over the Morava River, Reuters reports. Norris currently holds an enormous lead over historical Austro-Hungarian empress, Maria Theresa, and the nearby village of Devinska in the name race.

While the polls run till April, the actor carries 74 percent of the tally at present. A final decision will be made by the country’s general assembly after voting has ceased.

The bridge connects the Eastern European nation to neighboring Austria.

It's unclear who nominated the action film star for the honor in the first place. Reuters does point out that Norris’ work has become a common source of humor among the Slovaks relating to his “macho strength and invincibility.”

Kidding aside, regional governor, Pavol Fres, has promised to honor his people’s ultimate wishes, questionable though they may be. "The same way as we have so far been building it in full sight of the public, we will seek that the name is accepted by the public as well," Fres reportedly said.

Norris, who’s primarily known for his role on the television series, has a strong international following, and factoids about his exaggerated abilities dubbed "Chuck Norris Facts" have become a well-known Internet meme. One of those facts even seems relevant to the possible bridge name, claiming “Jesus walks on water. Chuck Norris steps over oceans.”

Should Slovakia name their bridge for Chuck Norris? Tell us on Facebook.

Related content:

• Facebook spreads Chuck Norris death hoax
• Remembering John Belushi 30 years after death
• Smackdown alert! Conan vs. Chinese TV host