City approves $7.4 million in design and management contracts for streetcar expansion

Streetcar Extension

By John Sharp

The KCMO City Council on April 16 approved $7.4 million in professional design and construction management contracts for the planned Main St. extension of the streetcar system from Pershing Rd. by Union Station to 51st & Brookside Blvd. by UMKC.

Approximately $4.7 million was allocated for professional design services, and approximately $2.7 million was allocated for pre-construction activities from revenue from the transportation development district (TDD) established to provide a local funding source for the streetcar.

Construction of the extension is expected to begin in late 2021 or early 2022, and the extension is scheduled to open in 2025, nine years after the streetcar opened for service in downtown.

Supporters of streetcar expansion are awaiting notification from the Federal Transit Administration that the project is ready to enter the engineering phase of the Federal Capital Improvements Grant New Starts Program so it can become eligible for federal funding.

The Main St. extension is estimated to cost about $330 million, and the KC Streetcar Authority is planning to seek about $174 million in federal funds for the project to be combined with local funds from the TDD.