KC Streetcar hits milestone on midtown extension. When will it be done? Here’s the latest
All 36,785 feet of rail have been laid for the Main Street extension of the Kansas City streetcar, which will stretch from downtown through midtown, Westport and the Plaza to UMKC. But work remains before passengers can ride in 2025, and drivers on Main Street will continue to experience disruptions and closed lanes.
The Main Street extension is mostly done with construction, according to Tom Gerend, executive director of the KC Streetcar Authority. But there are still many steps to go after heavy construction ends.
“We will have a lot of work to do, to test and to commission the system, to train new staff and to ensure that when we do open the doors for the public, that we truly are ready to ride,” Gerend said.
Traffic cones still dot midtown, outlining the future route of the streetcar’s 3.5 mile southern extension, which will more than double the length of the loop.
In October, workers finished installing the 40,000 feet of overhead catenary wires on the extension, which provide power to the all-electric streetcar. And seven of the eight new streetcar vehicles have been delivered, which will more than double the fleet to 14 vehicles.
Here are six things to know about Kansas City streetcar construction as 2024 winds to a close, from the streetcar authority and the city of Kansas City.
The tracks are still on track to open in 2025
You might see streetcars traversing midtown in early 2025, but you won’t be able to hop aboard until later in the year. After construction wraps up and the roads are refinished, there will be approximately six months of testing and training before the streetcar opens to the public, according to Gerend.
Gerend still expects the riverfront extension, from the River Market to Berkley Riverfront Park, to open in early 2026.
Traffic cones will disappear, but narrower streets will remain
The days of five lanes for Main Street drivers are gone forever.
For the most part, Main Street in midtown will have one lane in each direction for cars, with a turn lane in the center and streetcar lanes on the edges. The streetcar lanes will be separated from the rest of the road with curbs or striping, to keep cars out of the lanes.
Another (shorter) streetcar closure
If you missed riding the streetcar during the three-week closure in this fall, you’ll have to go through it again. The entire streetcar system will close for approximately nine days in early 2025.
The shutdown, which could happen as soon as late January, will allow workers to tie the riverfront extension to the rest of the line’s electrical system and rails. RideKC buses will carry passengers on the streetcar route during that time.
A fresh coat on Main Street
City crews will resurface Main Street in the coming months, leaving a smooth road after years of construction.
The section from Pershing to Linwood is already completed, but crews will wait until March or April, when temperatures rise, to complete the rest of the line, Ryan McMonigle, City Public Works spokesperson, said via email.
Vehicles will be able to travel on Main Street during resurfacing, McMonigle wrote.
Blocked off bridge
The Grand Boulevard Bridge that leads from the River Market to Berkley Riverfront Park will close for a month and a half in early spring.
The bridge was blocked off for streetcar construction for two months in the fall. Gerend said the streetcar authority is working with the KC Current on alternative routes to and from events at CPKC Stadium.
Security guards
The number of security guards working on the downtown streetcar line have increased from three to four, as the KC Streetcar Authority began a contract with private firm Titan. Some of these new guards, called streetcar ambassadors and security, will carry weapons.
Gerend said the contracted guards “have a higher degree of training, they have more capability, and then they obviously have the ability to support the operations along the entirety of the expanded alignment.”
Previously, the Downtown Community Improvement District provided security, but with the streetcar extending outside of the city center, the organization had to find a new contractor.
Do you have questions about development in Kansas City? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
