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Kansas City streetcar expansion project receives federal funding

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration announced Wednesday that the Kansas City Streetcar Main Street Extension Project will receive $50.8 in federal funding following the project’s May 2020 approval.

On Wednesday, the Kansas City Streetcar Main Street Extension Project received big news that big funding is on the way.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration announced today that of $400 million being spread to different infrastructure projects in the U.S., the Kansas City Streetcar Main Street Extension Project will receive $50.8 in federal funding.

Funding for the project will come from Capital Investment Grants, the money allocated to Kansas City following the project’s approval in May 2020.

“The Capital Investment Grants (CIG) Program provides funding for major transit infrastructure capital investments nationwide. Projects accepted into the program must go through a multi-year, multi-step process according to requirements in law to be eligible for consideration to receive program funds,” the Federal Transit Administration said Wednesday.

Currently, the expansion project is in the engineering phase. With funding, the streetcar will add 3.5 miles of new track which will push the end of the current line from Union Station to the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Much work lies ahead before its expected completion in 2025 including water and sewer pipe work.

“The significance of today’s federal funding announcement for the KC Streetcar cannot be overstated,” Tom Gerend, executive director of the Kansas City Streetcar Authority, said. “This federal funding will allow our team to advance final design and move into long-awaited construction, realizing a transit vision for Kansas City that has been decades in the making.”

“Kansas City is a great place to live and work and has tremendous potential for growth in the years ahead,” Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said. “Extending the KC Streetcar will boost economic development and provide reliable, no-cost transportation to more people in the region.”