KC Streetcar resumes services Friday after heat leads to weeks of emergency repairs
The Kansas City Streetcar resumed operations Friday morning after a rail buckled in the heat on the Fourth of July.
Service on the free rail line was abruptly suspend after a rail on the Main Street Bridge over Interstate 670 failed on Independence Day. This shut down the existing line, which runs 2.2 miles from Union Station to the City Market.
Experts have pointed to the heat-caused failure as a possible impact of climate change on infrastructure around the country, from rail lines to roads and sidewalks, all of which have can buckle under extreme heat.
No one was injured and RideKC buses were brought in to continue the service until the reopening.
A preliminary evaluation determined the track, which was laid in 2013, failed because of multiple factors, including that one of the rails buckled as it expanded in the heat, Donna Mandelbaum with the Kansas City Streetcar Authority, said previously.
The repairs took so long, in part, because the new concrete needed time to cure. It was also an opportunity to investigate the entire route for possible issues that could lead to another rail buckling. None were found, Mandelbaum said, though reinforcements were added in some areas.
There also has been some deterioration of the concrete slab and related repair materials, which she called normal wear and tear. As part of its preventative maintenance program, crews check the slabs and replace a grout that adheres the track to bridge and road, she said.
Construction on a rail expansion that will take the streetcar to the Country Club Plaza is also underway. That plan includes safeguards against the type of rail failure that just happened on the downtown section, Mandelbaum said.
This includes the use of a different type of rail that can be installed deeper into the road, she said. The track slabs are also thicker and use a more durable mix of concrete with fiber and rebar reinforcement.
The Star’s Robert A. Cronkleton contributed.
