Voters to decide whether to keep Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd

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    KANSAS CITY, MO (KSHB) — Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard signs started going up in February after the city council approved the name change in the beginning of the year.

On Tuesday, voters will decide on whether or not the street name stays, or will change back to The Paseo.

In January, the Kansas City, Missouri, City Council voted 8-4 to rename The Paseo to Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. It was an effort by the Southern Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City.

The signs, which cost about $60,000 to put up, were placed along the nearly 10 mile stretch of road.

The city said in September that most of the new signs were up, except for highway signs that belong to MoDOT and two LED screen signs.

In May, a petition to reverse the change was certified and awaited City Council’s vote.

In June, the City Council unanimously voted to put the street name change on the November ballot, after a citizen petition received more than the required 2,450 signatures.

Since June, both Save The Paseo and The Southern Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City have been campaigning non-stop to raise awareness about the naming issue.

A vote yes on Question 5 Tuesday is a vote to change the road’s name back to The Paseo. A vote no is a vote to leave the road as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Polls close at 7 p.m.

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