KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The University of Missouri - Kansas City will be a major beneficiary of the new KC Streetcar extension. It has the Roos hopping... with excitement.
"For UMKC, this extension is not just a game changer, it is a life changer," Chancellor Dr. C. Mauli Agrawal said. "This extension will take all of us to a totally different level and the opportunities are just endless."
While it doesn’t benefit the current student population, senior Ted Reinhardt said it's still a momentous occasion.
"You do it for the hope of bettering the generations that come after you," he said.
One major benefit to students is reliable transit in unpredictable weather.
"[It's] a more surefire way for students to get to campus rather than having to risk driving a car up an icy hill and then having it stall," Reinhardt said.
It’s not just navigating the forecast - students will now have more options for housing and a college experience that takes them even further off campus.
"They can live downtown where it’s so exciting, and they can live in Midtown and just those neighborhoods of KC that are such exciting places to live," sophomore Abigail Weiler said.
The university hopes the KC Streetcar will connect the community to the school, and vice versa. Wednesday's groundbreaking was the first step.
"Even though it won’t be finished while I’m in my undergrad here, it’s really really exciting just to know that students of the future will be able to utilize that," Weiler said.
