KC Streetcar to break ground for Main Street Extension, expanding service to UMKC
Construction on the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension officially gets underway Wednesday when officials hold a groundbreaking and rail signing ceremony.
That might come as a surprise for Kansas City midtown residents and those who traveled through the area the past year or so as construction barricades and excavators have been a common sight as crews upgraded or moved utility lines. That work was in preparation for the streetcar construction.
At 11 a.m. Wednesday, start of construction on the Main Street Extension will be marked with a ceremony at the southwest corner of Pershing Road and Main Street across from Union Station.
Federal Transit Administration Administrator Nuria Fernandez, Mayor Quinton Lucas, KC Streetcar Authority Executive Director Tom Gerend, UMKC Chancellor Dr. C. Mauli Agrawal and Bruce Marinchek, senior vice president of National Construction for Herzog Transit are expected to be on hand. The UMKC Conservatory will provide entertainment.
The $351 million project will extend KC Streetcar service 3.5 miles south, connecting Union Station to the University of Missouri — Kansas City at 51st Street and Brookside Boulevard. The project is funded with federal Capital Investment Grant funds and through a voter approved transportation development district.
Construction on the extension is expected to take 2.5 years to complete with passengers ready to ride in 2025.
KC Streetcar Constructors, a joint venture between Herzog Contracting Corp. and Stacy and Witbeck, and supported by Burns & McDonnell and JE Dunn Construction, is leading the construction. A joint partnership involving Kansas City, the KC Streetcar Authority and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority is overseeing the project.
This story was originally published April 5, 2022 at 7:18 AM.
