This story is part of an ongoing series, On Track with KC. If you have questions about the extension of the streetcar, you can submit those here.
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KSHB 41 News is launching a weekly segment highlighting the progress of the KC Streetcar’s southern extension and the impact of the project. The initiative is called On Track with KC.
A 3.5 mile-long extension from Union Station south to the University of Missouri-Kansas City will open in 2025; although, there’s no specific start date yet.
“We've said ride in 2025, and we can promise we will be riding in 2025,” said Tom Gerend, executive director of the KC Streetcar Authority.
He pointed out work on the entirety of the project is 96% complete.
The newsroom is dedicating three reporters to cover the $350-million extension project.
- Caroline Hogan will cover development that comes along with the extension.
- Charlie Keegan will cover the bureaucracy of the project, like testing, federal safety requirements and how public tax dollars pay for the project.
- Daniela Leon will focus on larger transportation changes coming with the project in the form of new traffic patterns, signage and parking enforcement.
In December, KC Streetcar celebrated the completion of laying all the new track for the extension. Streetcars traveled on the new tracks in January, and testing will continue for many months.
Last week, crews loaded streetcars with bottles of water and sandbags to mimic the weight of passengers. Eventually, the streetcar will invite focus groups aboard for further testing to ensure the track and its platforms meet accessibility standards.
“You'll see for months streetcars moving up and down Main Street as we make sure that everything we built works together,” Gerend explained.
Before the public can ride the streetcar, crews will repave Main Street, paint new lines on the pavement, install new landscaping and make other changes. Gerend said the design team has learned how to improve since the first streetcar line downtown.
“As we go south through Main Street, the parking spaces are designed to be a little bit wider, there’s a little bit more buffer between parking and streetcar,” Gerend said.
The southern extension will not be the end of the streetcar’s expansion. Construction is 50% complete on a northern extension to Berkley Riverfront Park.
The streetcar team is also studying whether to add an east-west line, expand to the 18th and Vine Historic District or along Southwest Boulevard, and/or consider building track across the Missouri River to North Kansas City.
“As the line gets longer, the magnetic pull for people wanting to be connected to that spine is growing,” Gerend told Hogan.
If you have questions about the streetcar extension, send them to the newsroom using the form linked here.
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KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics in Kansas, Missouri and at the local level. Share your story idea with Charlie.
KSHB 41 reporter Caroline Hogan covers development across the Kansas City area. Share your story idea with Caroline.
KSHB 41 anchor/reporter Daniela Leon covers transportation-related issues in Kansas City. Share your story idea with Daniela.