KC Streetcar team selects construction manager at risk for main street extension

Phase one of the final design and preconstruction work is set for the Kansas City (KC) Streetcar Main Street Extension Project.

On April 16, Kansas City’s City Council approved $7.4 million in Design Professional and Construction Manager at Risk contracts that will enable the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension to advance design services and enter pre-construction activities later this year. Approximately $4.7 million was allocated for design professional services and $2.7 million for pre-construction activities. KC Streetcar revenues are being used to fund these contracts.

Current schedules estimate construction beginning in late 2021 or early 2022, with the opening of the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension system scheduled for 2025.

“This is a significant milestone for the project that gives us the ability to meet federal grant requirements and aggressively move this project towards construction in 2022,” said Tom Gerend, executive director, KC Streetcar Authority.

The final design contract is being led by HDR Engineering with support from local companies HNTB, Trekk Design Group, Hg Consult, Parson + Associates, Custom Engineering and Lynchpin Ideas. The Construction Manager-at-Risk Contract is being led by the KC Streetcar Constructors, a joint venture led by Herzog Contracting Corp., and Stacy and Witbeck, with support from Burns & McDonnell and JE Dunn Construction. The joint venture of Herzog Contracting Corp., and Stacy and Witbeck was responsible for the construction of the downtown streetcar line.

The KC Streetcar project team is awaiting notification from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) that the project is ready to enter the Engineering Phase of the Federal Capital Improvements Grant (CIG) New Starts Program and is eligible for federal funding.

The CIG program funds transit capital investments including heavy rail, commuter rail, light rail, streetcars and bus rapid transit systems. The KC Streetcar Main Street Extension is estimated to cost $330 million and the project team is seeking $174 million in federal funding to be combined with local funding from the voter approved TDD.

The project’s recent progress is the result of years of work and significant commitment from the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension project partnership, which includes the KC Streetcar Authority, the city of Kansas City, Mo., and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. Work completed so far includes project development, identification of track and station stop locations, coordination of utility relocation including water and sewer lines, soliciting proposals for streetcar vehicle procurement, construction general management and public outreach.

A full report about the analysis and design work for the proposed streetcar stop locations and track alignment, including renderings of streetcars traveling through midtown, is located on the KC Streetcar website.