KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan has extensively covered KC Streetcar news as a member of the On Track with KC team. He also covers politics in Kansas, Missouri and at the local level. Share your story idea with Charlie.
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The KC Streetcar Riverfront Extension will begin service in just about four weeks.
Donna Mandelbaum, KC Streetcar Authority communications director, confirmed Tuesday to KSHB 41’s Charlie Keegan that the northern extension will open Monday, May 18, following an 11 a.m. press conference and community celebration.
"We're in this amazing green space right here where the streetcar pulls up and is right next to the Missouri River, which is where Kansas City started..." Mandelbaum said. "And now we're returning back to where it all started."
The $62 million extension adds two stops and about 3/4 of a mile to the existing line.
"The Riverfront Extension connects neighborhoods, opens the river to more Kansas Citians, and shows what's possible when we invest in smart, sustainable transit," Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a news release.
Testing of the riverfront extension started in December. Now in the final phase before opening, operators are training on the line, moving between 3rd Street and Grand Boulevard across the Grand Boulevard Bridge.
Pedestrians and cyclists are advised to stay off the Grand Boulevard Bridge. Instead, they can safely access the new bike/pedestrian bridge next to the Grand Boulevard Bridge, which KC Streetcar reports will open to the public "in early May."
"Everything is coming together for Kansas City with a truly world-class connected riverfront," Jon Stephens, Port KC president and CEO, said in a news release. "The possibilities are becoming reality with Berkley Riverfront welcoming a new bicycle-pedestrian bridge to go along with the streetcar extension as Kansas Citians and visitors will soon be able to enjoy our thriving riverfront like never before."
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Kansas City Current fans can now ride the streetcar to the Berkley Riverfront stop, located a short walk from CPKC Stadium. The first home game for fans to test out the riverfront extension will be May 24, a noon game against the Portland Thorns.
"We are reconnecting our riverfront for the next generation," KC Streetcar Authority Executive Director Tom Gerend said in a press release. "This streetcar extension represents our intentional return to where it all started and will serve as the new northern terminus for the 6.5-mile transit spine connecting our growing riverfront to downtown, UMKC and everything in between."
Less than a year ago, the southern Main Street extension opened, extending service from the River Market to the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Looking forward, KC Streetcar is studying possible east-west lines along 18th Street and/or 39th Street.
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