Transportation
Bird Arrives Downtown, ‘Lil Lectric’ Scooters Not Without Controversy
By Kevin Collison The Bird quietly scooted into downtown Kansas City Wednesday, a new smartphone-based personal transportation method that like its predecessors Lyft and Uber, is not without controversy elsewhere. The dock-free electric scooters, which are rented using a smartphone app, are billed as an ideal way for people to roll that last few blocks…
Voters Overwhelming Approve Local Funding to Extend Streetcar to UMKC, Next Stop Washington
By Kim Mueller Kansas City voters living within the Main Street Transportation Development District (TDD) overwhelming approved local funding needed to extend the streetcar route 3.5 miles from Union Station to UMKC. “It’s an exciting day to have both questions pass by such large margins,” Jared Campbell, Downtown Neighborhood Association president, said Wednesday. “It just…
Mayor Applauds Streetcar Extension Plan, ‘Prays’ Washington Favors Funding Request
By Kevin Collison The proposed streetcar extension from downtown to UMKC got strong backing from Mayor Sly James Wednesday, but he’s skeptical about its short-term prospects for obtaining full federal funding. “I’m very bullish on the streetcar and its expansion, and what it can do,” the mayor told an audience attending a panel discussion hosted…
North Loop Overhaul Plan Hits Federal, WyCo Potholes
By Kevin Collison The city’s ambitious plans to design a new future for the current, awkward bridge and freeway layout on the north side of downtown has hit unexpected blowback from Washington and Wyandotte County. First off, an application for $60 million in federal funding to help pay for replacing the obsolete Buck O’Neil Bridge…
New Downtown Bus Shelters to Offer More Amenities, Relieve Congestion
(Updated Aug. 24 with work schedule: Work is expected to begin Monday, Aug. 27 at 12th and Grand, and on Monday, Sept. 10 at Petticoat and Main. Construction at both locations is scheduled to be complete by the end of the year. Downtown bus stops will be temporarily relocated during construction: -Eastbound 12th at Grand…
Well-Known Westport Merchants Opposing Streetcar Expansion Plan
By Kevin Collison Several prominent Westport merchants have come out against the proposed streetcar extension from downtown to UMKC, apparently believing it won’t deliver enough new customers to justify the additional tax burden. In the latest campaign filing by SmartKC, a political committee opposed to the streetcar, Westport bars and restaurants including Kelly’s Westport Inn…
O’Neil Bridge Begins Short-Term Repairs May 19; Replacement Could Open by 2023
By Kevin Collison Southbound traffic on the Buck O’Neill Bridge, a major link connecting the Northland and downtown, is scheduled to shut down May 19 for a $7 million repair project. Repair work to the former Broadway Bridge, which carries 44,000 vehicles daily on Route 169, is expected to be completed by Dec. 1. Northbound…
UMKC Streetcar Extension Report Suggests Stops and Alignment
By Kevin Collison The future layout of the planned streetcar extension from downtown to UMKC is on the map with its proposed stops and alignment on Main Street reviewed at a recent public hearing. For the most part, the eight suggested streetcar stops mirror those in place for the MAX rapid-transit bus route now serving…
Streetcar Extension ‘Buzz’ Sparks Big Apartment Project at 39th and Main
By Kevin Collison Construction is expected to begin by late spring on a $34 million residential redevelopment project at 39th and Main, the largest private investment to date prompted by the anticipated extension of the streetcar from downtown to UMKC. The redevelopment of the historic Netherland Hotel building and the neighboring Monarch Storage building into…
‘Beyond the Loop’ Seeks to Relieve Downtown Freeway Damage
By Kevin Collison Beyond the Loop, a downtown planning strategy for the future of the North Loop freeway, Buck O’Neil Bridge and Independence Avenue, is holding two public meetings this month to refine potential alternatives. City and state officials have come up with a $200 million, long-term plan to build a new O’Neil (formerly Broadway)…