Middleton council adopts resolution renaming South Middleton Road and Murphy Avenue to reduce duplicate street names

The Middleton City Council unanimously adopted Resolution 54226 on June 3 to rename Old South Middleton Road to Trolley Way and to change Murphy Avenue to South Middleton Road following a recent realignment that would otherwise leave two separate South Middleton Road segments south of State Route 44. Public works director Jason Van Gilder told the council the change is intended to make the street network clearer for emergency dispatch and long-term navigation and to align North and South Middleton Road into a straight corridor.

"South Middleton Road will be a straight line through Middleton," Jason Van Gilder said during his presentation, describing coordination with fire, police, the postmaster and Canyon County on the recommendation. He told council the city must choose a unique name not used elsewhere in the county; staff recommended Trolley Way for the old alignment because it connects to the historic trolley station and avoids duplication.

Resident Don Reynolds, who lives near the project, urged the city to set a firm deadline for completing the roundabout work on Middleton Road and to avoid overlapping nearby construction that could close Middleton Road and create safety hazards for local traffic. "It looks horrendous," Reynolds said, adding he was prepared to offer volunteer labor for cleanup if the city needed help.

Council members asked about the timetable for new signs and address updates. Van Gilder said the signs would likely be ordered within a couple of weeks, that emergency services can use alias names in dispatch systems during the transition, and that business address numbers would remain unchanged. The council directed staff to notify the post office and affected businesses and to proceed with re-signing once the change is processed.

Council moved and seconded the resolution; the vote was unanimous. The resolution takes effect after staff completes notifications and signage; the council did not set a single final effective date at the meeting but discussed an implementation window driven by sign procurement and postal coordination.

What happens next: staff will notify the post office, order replacement signs, and begin outreach to businesses to coordinate address updates. Council members said they expect the process to be disruptive for impacted residents and businesses but necessary to avoid duplicate street names and to improve emergency response clarity.