New Year, New Rail!
Northbound lanes of Brookside Boulevard closed from 49th Street to 51st Street for rail delivery and welding for the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension.
KC Streetcar Constructors accept the first delivery of rail on Monday, January 9, 2023.
Kansas City, MO – Things are getting rail in 2023 for the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension project. The remaining rail needed for the southern half of the Main Street Extension started arriving on Monday, January 9, with delivery continuing for approximately the next two weeks, weather permitting.
The delivery will include 429 sticks of 115# T Rail weighing approximately 657 tons. Each rail stick is 80 feet long and weighs 3,100 pounds. Rail will be delivered to and stored near the intersection of 49th Street and Brookside Boulevard. Once delivery is complete, the rail will be welded into 480-foot-long sticks in the northbound lanes of Brookside Boulevard between 49th and 51st Streets.
During delivery and welding, the northbound lanes of Brookside Boulevard will be closed between 49th Street and 51st Street. Both activities are anticipated to take 5-6 weeks, weather permitting. While northbound Brookside Boulevard is closed, vehicles will be detoured to 51st Street and Oak Street. The Trolley Track Trail will remain open for pedestrians and bicyclists.
In addition to the southern rail delivery, 33, 80-foot sticks will be delivered to the Kite Singleton KC Streetcar Vehicle Maintenance Facility for the build out of three additional tracks to support the facility’s expansion, which includes a new maintenance bay, new warehouse building, and eight additional streetcars bringing the total fleet to 14 streetcars.
“Crews will be making around 4-6 rail deliveries per day, totaling 33 deliveries over the next couple of weeks to bring the remaining rail we need for the project,” said Aaron Adams, Project Manager with the KC Streetcar Constructors. “The rail originated in Pueblo, Colorado and has been transported via train to a storage area in Kansas City, Kansas before being delivered to the southern terminus near UMKC.”
Rail Delivery Media Availability:
WHO: KC Streetcar Constructors
WHEN: Wednesday, January 11 at 9:30 a.m.
WHERE: 49th Street and Brookside Boulevard, on the Trolley Track Trail*
*Media can access 49th Street via the Trolley Track Trail
AGENDA: Media interview opportunity with KCSC spokesperson, b-roll of rail delivery
The KC Streetcar Main Street Extension is a 3.5-mile extension of the downtown KC Streetcar System that will connect the current southern terminus at Union Station to the University of Missouri – Kansas City at 51st Street and Brookside Boulevard. The first rail delivery of nearly 700 tons of rail was delivered in January 2022. This rail was welded into 400-foot-long sticks and is stored on Grand Boulevard between 27th Street and Main Street. This first batch of rail is being used for track construction from Pershing Road to Armour Boulevard on both sides of Main Street and on the west side of Main Street from Armour Boulevard to 39th Street.
For more information about the construction of the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension, please visit https://BuildKCStreetcar.com or contact the KC Streetcar Constructors at info@BuildKCStreetcar.com.