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9/12/2018
The Kansas City Streetcar Authority (KCSA) late last week applied for federal funding for its Main Street Extension to the University of Missouri-Kansas City.The agency is seeking $151 million in New Starts Capital Investment Grants (CIG) funding from the Federal Transit Administration. KCSA, the KC Area Transportation Authority and the city of Kansas City submitted the formal application for the funding.KCSA also is seeking the project's inclusion in the federal 2020 budget to support the $316 million extension. Local funding will cover the remaining $164.9 million, according to a KCSA news release.The 3.6-mile Main Street Extension would run from Union Station to 51st Street near the university's campus."We feel strongly that our New Starts federal grant submission will compete well with projects across the country based on our merits and the proven success of the downtown starter line," said KCSA Executive Director Tom Gerend. The KC Streetcar's starter line opened two years ago.The city will serve as project sponsor and grantee for the New Starts funds, and will oversee the extension's design and construction, according to KCSA. While the KC Streetcar project team waits for news about the federal funding, staff will continue planning for the extension, including refining streetcar stop locations, determining track alignment for the route's southern portion and preparing for environmental reviews.In January, the FTA authorized moving the Main Street Extension to the development phase, marking a key step toward securing federal funding for the project, KCSA officials said at the time.Many new U.S. streetcar systems were proposed and built after changes in how the government defines transit-rail projects that qualify for federal funding, as reported in Progressive Railroading's recent feature on streetcars.