Kansas City Streetcar Main Street Expansion Project to be fully funded

The Kansas City Streetcar Main Street Extension Project will be fully funded due to a federal grant.

Reps. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Missouri) and Sharice Davids (D-Kansas) announced on Tuesday that nearly $91 million of American Rescue Plan funds – including a $24.7 million Capital Investment Grant for the streetcar project – will support transit projects in the Kansas City area.

Davids said in a news release that the funding is bringing "much needed relief and support" to the Kansas City metro.

"The KC Streetcar has played a vital role in the metro region — bolstering our local economy, supporting manufacturing jobs and connecting people to opportunities across our community," Davids said.

The streetcar, according to Cleaver, has played a "major role" in transporting Kansas Citians for free throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Federal Transit Administration approved the streetcar expansion project last May. Three months later, the FTA announced $50 million in funding for the project, followed by $174 million in federal funding in January.

The roughly 3.5 mile extension is expected to cost $351.7 million. A portion of the cost is covered through a funding district that voters approved in 2018.

Remaining American Rescue Plan funding will be distributed as follows:

• $66 million for KCMO and KCK transit systems
• $237,776 for "enhanced mobility of seniors and individuals with disabilities on both sides of the state line.