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.
—
Crews began work on one of the final major projects surrounding the KC Streetcar’s Main Street Extension project Monday.
Throughout the month of April, crews will tear up and resurface Main Street. Work will take place from 34th Street to 49th Street. Crews began with the southbound lanes of Main Street.
Over the past five years, work to extend the KC Streetcar on Main Street from Union Station to the University of Missouri-Kansas City has left the roadway covered in patches and cracked pavement.
“It’s patchwork, it’s potholes, it’s redirection, it’s people driving down the wrong side of the street, it’s long lines and it’s genuinely a pain,” Kansas Citian Rawly Ratcliff described the past five years.
Companies began moving underground utilities, like water mains and natural gas pipes, in 2020. In 2022, construction began on installing 3.5 miles of track for the streetcar.
“That created a lot of holes, and this prompted and required a full resurfacing of the roadway,” explained Jason Waldron, Kansas City, Missouri’s director of transportation.
Once crews finish the resurfacing project at the end of the month, Waldron said drivers will see one smooth layer of asphalt on Main Street.
“I like smooth roads,” said resident Joseph Moore.
Other drivers like Levetta Stegall are bracing for more headaches along Main Street during the resurfacing project.
“I guess I better pack my patience,” she said.
Waldron thanked drivers for their patience throughout the $350 million project.
“I think everybody, now that they’re seeing tracks in the ground, they’re seeing the shelters, they’re seeing resurfacing, it’s starting to feel very real,” Waldron said. “There’s a huge excitement in the corridor now.”
After resurfacing, crews will spend another month painting new stripes on the roadway. Some striping will designate streetcar-exclusive lanes.
There is no set date for passengers to ride on the Main Street Extension other than sometime in 2025.
—
KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics on both sides of the state line. If you have a story idea to share, you can send Charlie an email at charlie.keegan@kshb.com.