The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on Jan. 8 announced a $174.1 million federal grant agreement with the city of Kansas City, Mo., for the Kansas City Streetcar Main Street Extension Project, which will improve transportation options and continue to spur economic development along the streetcar corridor.

"This $174.1 million federal grant agreement will extend the streetcar line, better connecting residents to jobs and essential services, critically important as the economy recovers," said former U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

The project adds approximately 3.5 mi. to the original 2-mi. Kansas City Streetcar line, which was built in 2016. The new route will run from Union Station downtown south to the University of Missouri–Kansas City. Kansas City officials have recorded more than $2 billion in economic development within the boundaries of the Streetcar Development District since December of 2012.

"FTA is proud to support the expansion of the Kansas City Streetcar, which will link riders with jobs and educational opportunities at the university, along with access to community services along the line," said FTA Deputy Administrator K. Jane Williams. "The project reflects our partnership with Kansas City to improve transit service and support economic development."

Williams added that "this federal investment underscores the Trump Administration's commitment to fund infrastructure that creates jobs and helps communities continue to recover from the COVID-19 public health emergency."

The streetcar extension includes nine stations, transit signal priority and improvements to intersections and sidewalks. A third streetcar line, the Riverfront Extension, received a $14.2 million BUILD grant in September.

The total project cost is $351.7 million, with $174.1 million in funding provided through FTA's Capital Investment Grants (CIG) Program. FTA's CIG program provides funding for major transit infrastructure projects nationwide. Projects accepted into the program must go through a multi-year, multi-step process according to requirements in law to be eligible for consideration to receive program funds.

With this announcement, FTA has advanced funding for 41 new CIG projects throughout the nation since January 2017, totaling approximately $10.7 billion in funding commitments.

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