MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Murfreesboro Planning Commission voted Wednesday to rename Mercury Boulevard to Doctor Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard.
The change was proposed by City Councilman Kirt Wade in February during Black History Month.
The renaming recognizes the national contributions of the slain civil rights leader in advocating racial equity through nonviolence in the 1960s and reflects the commitment of the City to embracing diversity within the community, according to a city of Murfreesboro press release.
Mercury Boulevard is in an area of the City that has significant cultural and historical importance, including Patterson Park Community Center, the destination for the annual MLK Jr. Day March honoring Dr. King’s birthday
“Every major city has a street named in honor of Doctor Martin Luther King Jr,” said Wade when he proposed the renaming. "Murfreesboro is one of the few larger cities in Tennessee that doesn’t have a street named in honor of Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.”
More than 400 addresses on Mercury Boulevard will be affected by the name change, including approximately 40 commercial and government addresses and 364 single and multifamily residences.
The official date for the renaming has not been determined and won’t take effect until impacted residents and commercial business are notified and new street signs are posted during the transition.
