One Year in the Construction Zone
KC Streetcar Constructors marks one year of KC Streetcar Main Street Extension construction.
Nuria Fernandez, Administrator of the Federal Transit Association, Mayor Quinton Lucas, Tom Gerend, Executive Director of the KC Streetcar Authority, and C. Mauli Agrawal, Ph. D, Chancellor of the University of Missouri - Kansas City, sign a piece of the rail at the groundbreaking ceremony for the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension project on April 6, 2022.
One year ago, Kansas City gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension, and it has been full speed ahead ever since.
KC Streetcar Constructors (KCSC) and project partners have made considerable progress during the first year of construction for the $351 million, 3.5-mile streetcar extension that will connect the current southern terminus at Union Station at Pershing Road and Main Street to the University of Missouri - Kansas City at 51st Street and Brookside Boulevard. The project has created 348 construction jobs, 283, or 81%, of which are local.
Construction has taken place throughout midtown as well as at the Kite E. Singleton Maintenance Yard. A few construction accomplishments from the first year of the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension project include:
Received 457 sticks of 115#T rail, totaling 657 tons which are currently being stored on Brookside Boulevard between 49th Street and 51st Street.
Conducted 25 early morning rail pulls to place 20,006 feet of rail in the work zone.
Installed 40% of the track needed for the project.
Drilled and poured 34% of the Overhead Catenary System (OCS) foundations.
Installed two platforms for the future KC Streetcar station stops: Northbound and Southbound WWI Museum/Memorial stops located just north of 27th Street.
Constructed a mobility lane on the west side of Main Street from Pershing Road to 27th Street.
Constructed a new sidewalk on the east side of Main Street between Pershing Road and Grand Boulevard as part of the pedestrian upgrades of this project.
Hosted 10 Main Street Meet Up events where members of the public stopped by to interact with the project team while supporting a local business along the construction corridor.
Began expansion of the Kite E. Singleton Maintenance Yard which includes:
A new, 3,651 square-foot warehouse building for storing parts and streetcar equipment. The new warehouse is a heated Pre-Engineered Metal Building made of structural steel framing that is sitting on 16, 37-feet deep foundations or drilled piles.
Renovation of the existing annex building to include a new streetcar operations center and small parts storage.
Initial construction of Singleton Maintenance Yard Bay #4, a new double-length bay to store and maintain streetcars. Bay 4 is constructed of concrete wall panels secured by structural steel, each weighing 30,000 pounds and 310 feet long. More than 40 panels will be used to build Bay 4, which extends from the existing maintenance facility on the east side to underneath the Heart of America Bridge on the west side.
Received 33, 80-foot long sticks of 115 #T rail to build three additional tracks.
Work on the Kite Singleton Maintenance Yard expansion is a very coordinated operation so that construction proceeds on schedule and current streetcar operations and maintenance activities are not impacted.
“This is a project for Kansas City, built by Kansas City. We have 103 subcontractors and supplier partners working on the project and more than 80% of the workforce is local,” said Aaron Adams, Project Manager with the KC Streetcar Constructors. “2023 will be a busy year for us with continued track construction, drilling and pouring OS foundations, work on future station stops, pedestrian improvements, underground electrical work, and finishing the last of storm sewer work. We appreciate the community’s continued support.”
Expect more exciting progress on the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension this year as we prepare to Ride in 2025, including the arrival of new streetcars in late 2023.
Stay up to date with KC Streetcar Main Street Extension construction progress by following @BuildKCSC on Twitter and signing up for Weekly Construction updates on our project website buildkcstreetcar.com. For questions, please contact the KC Streetcar Constructors:
Hotline: 816-337-1013
Email: info@buildkcstreetcar.com