Schizophrenic Road?

There's an argument going on in Indianapolis over renaming a portion of a "main-drag" thoroughfare, one of the oldest North/South roads in Indianapolis.

This road is one of the most schizophrenic roads. North of Indianapolis, it's 421. Somewhere still north of Indianapolis (around 116th Street), it becomes North Michigan Road (after all, it goes from at least SE Indianapolis all the way into Michigan). Staying on the same road, (don't turn off on 465 to follow the route for 421), it's North Michigan Road until you hit 38th Street, when it changes names, again, to Dr Martin Luther King Junior Street (sometimes referred to as Dr MLK Street). At 11th Street (continuing South), though there's an "transitional egress ramp" staight South (my term), Dr MLK Street abruptly jumps over to the East a few car-lengths, then continues South. (This can be very confusing, as 11th Street is one-way West.) Somewhere between 10th and West Michigan Street (yes, ANOTHER Michigan), the road changes name again to N. West Street. At Washington Street (a little schizo itself - in some places is US40!), it changes to S West Street. (Washington is the dividing line between N & S for postal service and street numbering.) The name S West Street remains until Bluff Road merges into it in the middle of St Joseph and Holy Cross Cemetery. where it remains Bluff Road heading South West out of Marion County, and later changes to Wicker Road when it turns West only, near where it crosses SR37. From the map, it appears Wicker Road dead-ends after a short while.

To add to the confusion, there are probably still people in Indianapolis who call some of that road Northwestern. (I don't remember where it started or ended.)

Meanwhile, 421 has followed 465W across the top of Indy, changing to 465S on the NE side of Indy. Somewhere in SE Indianapolis, around where US74 merges into 465, 421 seems to disappear.

So, it matters where you are on that road (again, going south - 421/N Michigan/Dr MLK/N West/S West/Bluff/Wicker) what your address is. And trying to describe how to get to your home from North or South of the city can be confusing, too (to the person trying to find the address for the first time... not to those who live there).

Michigan Road, as I said, has been called Michigan Road for some time, now. I also know that West Street has been called West Street since Indianapolis was formed (it's part of the "square mile" surrounding the middle of Indianapolis - other roads - North, East and South, get it?) I'm sure that, originally, 421/Michigan Road did not merge into West Street, but went SE through Indianapolis.

Isn't it schizophrenic enough without changing part of it's name AGAIN?

Portions of other "main drag" or state roads have been named for various people, too: Babyface, the Vietnam Veterans, etc.

I understand the arguments, except the minister who stated that (paraphrased), "Indianapolis is a great city... It needs great street names". HUH? Originally, cities built and named PARKS for people they wished to memorialize. Why did they ever start changing the names of sections of ANY road? I mean, I can understand a NEW street/road/highway being named for someone, but to rename existing roads?

When we rename existing roads, we give up on the history of the regions for which they are named, and force all those living and running businesses along those roads to change anything on which they had an address. (It doesn't happen for free, ya know?) Historians, genealogists and others trying to find a given address for any reason, now have to go through all the old names to find them. 911 has to be reprogrammed. All the services to the area have to deal with the name change, including police, fire department, ambulance, etc., and for some time, it's probable that 1) the wrong address will be given; 2) the wrong address will be gone to.

Indianapolis has become one of those cities who look for corporate sponsors for various building project. It's convention center has no name, other than Indiana or Indianapolis Convention Center. Why couldn't that whole huge building be named Dr. Martin Luther King Junior (short name: Dr MLK Jr) Convention Center of Indianapolis? They're going to be replacing the section where the current Hoosier Dome sits when Lucas Oil Stadium is finished... Now would be a GREAT time to change the name. (Or is Indy looking for a huge corporate sponsor to whom to lease the name?)

How 'bout the new bypasses proposed by Governor Daniels? One of them could be named for Dr King.

Don't change the street names where people live and work... Where there's a history... Again, with all the building going on in Indianapolis, there's plenty of new construction that can memorialize the man.

Bill Sanders