FARGO (AP) - A street that will run south from a new Interstate 94 overpass bordering Fargo and West Fargo will be paved with both cities sharing the cost. But they have different names for it.

West Fargo calls it Ninth Street East. Fargo calls it 57th Street South.

Fargo Planning Director Jim Gilmour recalled that when Fargo workers put up 57th Street signs on the road a few years ago, West Fargo workers took them down.

"It got downright silly," he said.

Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker believes having two names could be confusing to residents and motorists when the newly paved street and I-94 interchange open in fall 2009.

"We need to come up with something that's compatible for both cities," he said.

West Fargo Mayor Rich Mattern said that with the completion of the interchange and paved road, Ninth Street East will be the longest street in West Fargo.

Naming the two-mile stretch south of I-94 something else would be confusing to West Fargo's new residents, Mattern said. The high school and Cheney Middle School already sit along Ninth Street East, he said.

"I see their point, and I hope they see our point," he said of Fargo's request.

West Fargo takes care of the two-mile stretch of road, and traditionally the city that maintains the street gets to name it, said West Fargo City Administrator Jim Brownlee. But Fargo is paying half the bill for paving the gravel road next year.

Brownlee said he's waiting to hear from city planners on whether a street with two names would cause problems for 911 addressing or businesses before bringing the issue to the West Fargo City Council.