OFFICIAL - Main Street Streetcar Extension

[TheUrbanRoo]

Do we have any good idea at this point when we’ll start seeing the test trains come down the tracks. It’s got to be getting close.

[Anthony_Hugo98]

Do we have any good idea at this point when we’ll start seeing the test trains come down the tracks. It’s got to be getting close.

On the extension? Not until after they complete track construction and catenary. Which is still a fairly decent ways off. They have to remove the current US crossover and tie in the new NB track to the existing line still.

[langosta]

Do we have any good idea at this point when we’ll start seeing the test trains come down the tracks. It’s got to be getting close.

On the extension? Not until after they complete track construction and catenary. Which is still a fairly decent ways off. They have to remove the current US crossover and tie in the new NB track to the existing line still.

Post Labor Day the system will shut for a few weeks. Looks like the new RM switches are on site so hopefully both can be done at once.

[Midtownkid]

I've noticed that most of the streetlight poles have been 'updated' along Main St through midtown. The new ones are no-doubt designed to carry the electrical lines for the street car. My disappointment is that they are super plain galvanized poles with no character at all. Main Street was redone a few years ago with much more interesting streetlight poles that had a lot of design to them. They had bases that were decorative and were capped with a finial that reminded me of the art-modern Katz building. They also had signs that said 'Main Street' on them.

There are a few of these left in place (for now). It seems like a waste to replace them all a few years after they were installed. It's also too bad the replacements have no design elements to them.

Anyone know the story on this?

[smh]

I know that at least a few of the OCS poles were installed right in the middle of the sidewalk, which is a total insult to people on foot and undermines the pedestrian-oriented intent of the project. Fortunately, it looks like some gentle prodding from city hall is getting the poles moved to a more appropriate location in the ROW.

[Anthony_Hugo98]

I know that at least a few of the OCS poles were installed right in the middle of the sidewalk, which is a total insult to people on foot and undermines the pedestrian-oriented intent of the project. Fortunately, it looks like some gentle prodding from city hall is getting the poles moved to a more appropriate location in the ROW.

Engineering sometimes just conflicts with our desires too.

The biggest issue I’ve seen is the fact that even with the overall reduction, cars are still allowed a ton of space overall along Main. Taking back more of that would do well to alleviate some of those placement issues.

[smh]

I know that at least a few of the OCS poles were installed right in the middle of the sidewalk, which is a total insult to people on foot and undermines the pedestrian-oriented intent of the project. Fortunately, it looks like some gentle prodding from city hall is getting the poles moved to a more appropriate location in the ROW.

Engineering sometimes just conflicts with our desires too.

The biggest issue I’ve seen is the fact that even with the overall reduction, cars are still allowed a ton of space overall along Main. Taking back more of that would do well to alleviate some of those placement issues.

Agreed on the street still feeling overall car dominant.

[DMNBT_RCJH]

Is Katz in main waiting for street car to finish construction near it before working on their outdoor space? Or is there engineering/structural concerns with it?

[Anthony_Hugo98]

I know that at least a few of the OCS poles were installed right in the middle of the sidewalk, which is a total insult to people on foot and undermines the pedestrian-oriented intent of the project. Fortunately, it looks like some gentle prodding from city hall is getting the poles moved to a more appropriate location in the ROW.

Engineering sometimes just conflicts with our desires too.

The biggest issue I’ve seen is the fact that even with the overall reduction, cars are still allowed a ton of space overall along Main. Taking back more of that would do well to alleviate some of those placement issues.

Agreed on the street still feeling overall car dominant.

I don’t disagree with your overall sentiment though, it’s upsetting that we’re forced to cannibalize space for pedestrians in a corridor that should be made MORE walkable by this project, merely to ensure drivers might not get stuck behind a streetcar when they want to turn right.

[KCPowercat]

tested part of the new Pershing new switch today.
https://twitter.com/kcstreetcar/status/ ... 0452777055

[smh]

tested part of the new Pershing new switch today.
https://twitter.com/kcstreetcar/status/ ... 0452777055

This is great stuff. Starting to become very real, very quickly!

[NEgoofyfoot]

I've noticed that most of the streetlight poles have been 'updated' along Main St through midtown. The new ones are no-doubt designed to carry the electrical lines for the street car. My disappointment is that they are super plain galvanized poles with no character at all. Main Street was redone a few years ago with much more interesting streetlight poles that had a lot of design to them. They had bases that were decorative and were capped with a finial that reminded me of the art-modern Katz building. They also had signs that said 'Main Street' on them.

There are a few of these left in place (for now). It seems like a waste to replace them all a few years after they were installed. It's also too bad the replacements have no design elements to them.

Anyone know the story on this?

The decorative elements seen to just be an added on/attached collar around the Base and Mids of the poles. Would be nice to see them saving/refurbishing them to reattach them to the new poles.

[Cratedigger]

Saw a few of the old poles with the base and mid still attached in the streetlight graveyard on sw Trafficway by Browne’s

[fixthepotholes]

Are there plans to repave the street? Its in a pretty miserable state.

[swid]

Yes, the entire stretch will be repaved.*

*presumably minus Pershing-27th, which was repaved as part of the initial "small-stretches" construction plan

[beautyfromashes]

I'm really starting to get concerned about the launch of this extension. Midtown is overrun with homeless people right now. They sleep on house porches, check every car door and back door to gain access and break into abandoned buildings. They leave huge amounts of trash and break into bins leaving the trash everywhere. They fight each other, leave needles everywhere where children could step on them, burn tree branches and block sidewalks when they are blacked out. It's a wasteland. Having people ride continuously or even occasionally with carts or packs of trash or sleep on the cars or unhygienic conditions like lice or urine this will kill the streetcar, not just the extension but the entire thing. I've seen no effort by anyone to get these people off the street and into treatment or shelter or places that are humane.

[DaveKCMO]

We've been dealing with that downtown for years. Yes, the volume will be greater but so are the available resources to manage it.

[KCPowercat]

I'm really starting to get concerned about the launch of this extension. Midtown is overrun with homeless people right now. They sleep on house porches, check every car door and back door to gain access and break into abandoned buildings. They leave huge amounts of trash and break into bins leaving the trash everywhere. They fight each other, leave needles everywhere where children could step on them, burn tree branches and block sidewalks when they are blacked out. It's a wasteland. Having people ride continuously or even occasionally with carts or packs of trash or sleep on the cars or unhygienic conditions like lice or urine this will kill the streetcar, not just the extension but the entire thing. I've seen no effort by anyone to get these people off the street and into treatment or shelter or places that are humane.

I'm not getting the relation to the streetcar extension if this is happening now?

[beautyfromashes]

I'm not getting the relation to the streetcar extension if this is happening now?

I don't see near the volume downtown when I walk through as I do in Midtown. I don't know if the CID helps move people on or if businesses protect their areas better. I see some homeless around Union Station but there are yellow jackets that keep them from loitering. But, more than doubling the line through an area of a very large population of homeless is going to make this a much more difficult task. And I've seen zero effort by the city to move the people to different areas or get them sheltered. Unless the streetcar authority is going to take the responsibility solely on themselves, you will have homeless on every car.

[beautyfromashes]

We've been dealing with that downtown for years. Yes, the volume will be greater but so are the available resources to manage it.

Streetcar Authority resources or city, because the city doesn't seem to be doing anything. I know they hired a 'homeless czar' but they haven't made the issue better and it's going extensively worse. I can't imagine any business opening along the streetcar through Midtown right now with the amount of homeless issues there are right now. Zero chance.