KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Crews with Kansas City, Missouri, Public Works began installing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard signs on Saturday morning.
“We are truly investing in this beautiful five-mile thoroughfare and we will have one of the greatest boulevards in our park system when we are done," . "I wasn't just putting up signs — but putting more money, putting more investment, putting more attention and putting more love into Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.“
The move came after the KCMO Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners voted in April to rename several streets in honor of King.
The stretch of streets that were renamed include Blue Parkway, Swope Parkway and Volker Boulevard from Brookside Boulevard east to Interstate 435.
In 2019, the KCMO City Council voted to rename The Paseo to honor King.
However, residents along The Paseo pushed back and put the name change to a citywide vote.
Less than a year later, voters approved switching the name back to The Paseo, which restarted the process for finding a street to name in memory of King.
In early 2020, KCMO began asking for the public's input on ways the city could honor King.
