The KC Streetcar Authority (KCSA), in coordination with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) and the City of Kansas City, Mo., has issued a notice to proceed to planning work on the Streetcar Southern Extension project. This comes as ridership on the KC Streetcar continues to increase and additional service and track is in demand.
Estimated to cost approximately $1 million and be completed in nine months, this phase of planning and engineering work is jointly funded by the KCSA and KCATA.
A team led by HDR Engineering will provide the planning and engineering services. The team will have support from Burns & McDonnell, HNTB, Trekk Design Group, Hg Consult, Parson + Associates, VSM Engineering and Architectural & Historical Research.
“We are thrilled to be working hand-in-hand with our partners with the KCATA and KCMO, to detail specific plans for a southern streetcar extension and related bus improvements connecting downtown to University of Missouri, Kansas City’s campus,” said Tom Gerend, executive director of the KC Streetcar Authority. “This effort is a critical step towards advancing the region’s transit vision and completing the due diligence that will be required to make this vision a reality.”
The KC Streetcar Southern Extension planning will focus on collecting data, such as utilities and current conditions; refining alignment details, including curb running and center running; station stop locations and terminus configuration; planning for coordinated regional transit service integration; and updating costs estimates and initiating the federal funding process.
The KC Streetcar Southern Extension planning will build upon the downtown streetcar service and support work to further develop and advance the southern extension towards the University of Missouri, Kansas City.
The area is bounded on the west by Broadway Boulevard and on the east Gillham Road. The study will be managed by a local partnership between KCSA, the KCATA and the City of Kansas City, Mo., and the approach will include key project stakeholders in Kansas City and along the proposed route, such as property owners, residents, and community organizations.