Fifty-seven years after streetcars stopped running in Kansas City, an enthusiastic crowd gathered for the official groundbreaking to bring them back to downtown. “It’s a day that we get on board with a new, dynamic mindset,” Mayor Sly James said as a nearby backhoe prepared to bore into the asphalt in the middle of Main Street just south of Truman Road.
Councilman Russ Johnson, who has championed the return of the streetcars to Kansas City, said they are catalysts for private investment and development virtually everywhere they are built, and predicted the same will be true here.
The first phase of work includes upgrades to Kansas City’s century-old water and sewer system, which is being coordinated with the streetcar rail installation, and is part of the City’s long-term water main replacement program.
“This is a huge day for Kansas City because we are redefining what transportation means, what it looks like, and how it impacts neighborhoods,” said Mayor Sly James. “Coordinating this first phase with needed improvements to our water and sewer system is good business for the City and will deliver a good return on investment for our residents.”
“This project uniquely blends Kansas City’s past, its present, and its future. With this milestone, we turn another page in our City’s great story,” added Councilman Russ Johnson, chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
The 2.2 mile north-south Downtown Streetcar will travel along Main Street and connect the River Market to Crown Center and Union Station. The total project includes two phases, beginning with the water and sewer system upgrades. Once those are completed, KCSC will begin constructing the track for the starterline and the vehicle maintenance facility.
The KCSC team is led by St. Joseph-based Herzog Contracting Corporation, and national rail builder Stacy and Witbeck, Inc. More than 60 subcontractors are part of KCSC, of which over 40 are registered disadvantaged business enterprises (DBE). For more information on KCSC, contact Meghan Jansen at info@kcstreetcar.org or at 816-804-8882.
KC Streetcar Illustration
Sources: Mayor Sly James Press Room, Kansas City Star