Transit Action Network (TAN)

Modern StreetCar

March 22. The MARC Board approved authorization to execute an agreement with HDR to do the Alternatives Analysis (AA) for the downtown corridor. HDR is an international employee-owned architecture, engineering and consulting firm. They have an excellent reputation working on transit projects and HDR has been heavily involved in streetcar implementation, especially in Portland. They have a KCMO office at 4435 Main.

The HDR team includes Nelson/Nygaard, Patti Banks, Burns & McDonnell, Polsinelli Shugahart, HG Consult, and Architectural & Historical Research.

From MARC’s  Request for Proposal (RFP):

“For the purposes of this Alternatives Analysis, the downtown corridor is in Kansas City, Missouri and extends from the Rivermarket on the north, through the Central Business District and the Crossroads areas to Crown Center on the south.  This is the center of the bi-state region and includes the region’s largest concentrations of employment, regionally significant activity centers and a growing residential population.

Downtown is the current regional hub for transit services and the expected terminus for future regional rail being studied in a separate Alternatives Analysis that is to be coordinated with this effort. There is significant transit service downtown, including two BRT lines terminating downtown, but existing services primarily focus on bringing persons from outlying parts of the city and region in and out of downtown. There is a significant and growing need for transit service focused on conveniently moving people within downtown and connecting the downtown activity centers, employment centers, residential areas and transit hubs. This need will heighten with any future introduction of regional or commuter rail.”

Modern streetcar and a variety of alternatives will be considered to meet the current and future needs.

Read KCATA’s  Kansas City Streetcar Concept

The AA is expected to be completed by Jan 2012.