KSHB 41 reporter Caroline Hogan covers development across the Kansas City area. Share your story idea with Caroline.
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On Monday, Kansas City, Missouri, officials celebrated the completion of track construction for the KC Streetcar Main Street extension.
It's another step toward being able to ride in 2025, and businesses along the new extension toward the University of Missouri - Kansas City are eager for it to start.
Join in celebrating this major milestone - the end of track construction for the #kcstreetcar Main Street Extension.
— KC Streetcar 🚊 (@kcstreetcar) December 2, 2024
It all happens at 2pm at the new Plaza Transit Streetcar stop. pic.twitter.com/sErWK967WV
Not far from the KC Streetcar's newest stop on Brookside Boulevard is Crow's Coffee. The shop is already popular among UMKC students and Whole Foods shoppers.
"Morning business is great right now," said Zach Moores, owner of Crow's Coffee. "I think it's only gonna get better."
Moores foresees steady business throughout the day — not just in the mornings. It makes up for quieter season's like when school isn't in session.
"We've already talked about what we're going to do for afternoon shift and getting ready for just more staff, and more pastries, and more coffee," Moores said.
Chris Fuller is one of the many UMKC students who works at Pizza 51. He's thrilled to have the KC Streetcar stop so close.
What's important to Fuller and other students is accessibility.
"I like that it's free and that it’s really convenient to get on there," Fuller said. "There's been trouble with the buses, so I feel like it will help a lot of students to get here quicker and have to spend less money."
KC Streetcar said overall construction is at 93%. They have crosswalks, sidewalks, and landscaping left.
What comes next, in the new year, is a testing period, which they said will take a few months.
Streetcar officials say their goal is to have people riding in the second half of 2025.
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