Official: KCMO Light Rail

[ShowMeKC]

wtf? lol
QH is not west of the Xroads, it's NW of the Xroads. He said west of Broadway is more dense than the Xroads, if you want to get technical, then that means he was talking about the West Side... I know QH is denser and has more ppl than most of the Xroads, i'm not talking about QH as it doesn't directly border the Xroads.

[shinatoo]

Anything that is not a dedicated throughway (see St. Louis, Chicago and LA) will be a failure for this type of fairly long distance rail. This type of system would work great in the river to 31st street area as a local circulatory but there will be far to much stop and go for a Union Station to Airport run. Or a Tiffinay Springs to Swope run.

My $.02.

[bbqboy]

Yes, the east edge of Penn Valley Park must be developed sometime. It's the number one divider of KC's urban core and completely and utterly destroys the urban environment and any chance for connectivity and walkability. Its nothing more than an unused, ugly forest in the very heart of all that KC is. This tract of Main Street is a wasteland and rail on Main here would bring TOD to this stretch of Main. Main Street at PVP has to change.

That's exactly why the park is perfect to run the LRT through.
You are describing a streetcar line, not LRT. Differerent purposes.

[ShowMeKC]

bbq, you cannot develop the park beyond it's use as a park and a publicly used area. The surrounding area needs to be developed, that will do a lot more good for the park than just running Light Rail through it and redeveloping the park.

[bbqboy]

bbq, you cannot develop the park beyond it's use as a park and a publicly used area. The surrounding area needs to be developed, that will do a lot more good for the park than just running Light Rail through it and redeveloping the park.

huh?

[ShowMeKC]

There is no reason you shouldn't have been able to understand that.

[Stockton]

Anything that is not a dedicated throughway (see St. Louis, Chicago and LA) will be a failure for this type of fairly long distance rail. This type of system would work great in the river to 31st street area as a local circulatory but there will be far to much stop and go for a Union Station to Airport run. Or a Tiffinay Springs to Swope run.

My $.02.

On-street lightrail controls the stop lights, right?

Too bad Chastain didn't run it along I-29 on its own right-of-way from the near northland.

[DaveKCMO]

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/16098324.htm

[quote]When Kansas City voters approved Clay Chastain’s light-rail proposal, the ballot measure’s fine print called for a technology used in only one place in the world — Bordeaux, France.

Now, city officials must familiarize themselves with that technology and see whether Kansas City can pioneer its use in this country. Climate is just one challenge that would confront transit planners.

The Nov. 7 ballot described a system running from the Kansas City Zoo in Swope Park to Kansas City International Airport and said that it would include “new ground-level power supply technology (no overhead wires).â€

[KCMax]

Too bad our poor city officials have to travel to Bordeaux France.

[DaveKCMO]

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/s ... aily6.html

Clay Chastain has offered city officials some answers to an abundance of questions about building light rail in Kansas City.

On Monday, Chastain submitted a proposal to local government officials outlining his plans for implementing a light-rail ordinance that voters approved earlier this month. Chastain, the chief proponent of the ordinance, now resides in Virginia but temporarily returned to Kansas City this week to help "make Kansas City's light-rail system a resounding success." He said he would offer his assistance to the city and meet with a representative from the Federal Transit Administration while he was in town.

Kansas City voters already have approved a 25-year extension to the city's three-eighths-cent transportation sales tax. Revenue from the tax would account for about half of the estimated $1 billion cost of light rail.

Chastain's proposal includes a two-year timeline for financing and constructing parts of the rail line. It includes the following recommendations:

By Jan. 1, 2007:

• Apply for a $1 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration for planning and engineering.
• Divide the 30-mile light-rail plan into two segments. The first stage would include 14 miles from Troost Avenue and Rockhill Road in the south to North Oak Trafficway and Vivion Road in the north. The second stage would extend the rail line north to Kansas City International Airport and south to Swope Park.
• Update studies from the city's 2001 proposed light-rail plan and use them to expedite the application process for federal financing.
• Apply for state financing in conjunction with St. Louis.
• Issue $50 million in city-backed revenue bonds to plan and construct an aerial gondola system, prepare Penn Valley Park for light rail and secure right of way for the light-rail line from KCI to Swope Park.

By Jan. 1, 2008:

• Complete construction of the aerial gondola system and any changes to Penn Valley Park.

By Jan. 7, 2008:

• Issue $600 million in city-backed revenue bonds for the first stage of light-rail construction.
• Apply for $600 million in federal money through the Federal Transit Administration's Small Rail Starts and Rail Starts programs.
• Incorporate wireless light-rail technology into the downtown corridor of the rail line.

By Jan. 1, 2009:

• Complete construction of 30-mile right-of-way corridor for light rail.
• Support a regional transit tax in Missouri and amend the current regional transit plan to include a commuter rail line from Blue Springs to Union Station, a 10-mile light-rail extension from Swope Park to Lee's Summit and additional financing for City's bus system.

[lock+load]

^ That is a very agressive schedule.  No way that is going to happen, especially with the gondola being the first portion completed.  I like the approach though.

[KansasCityChiefs]

No way the gondola would be the first part completed. If that technology about the ground level power supply could work in this climate, that would be very cool.

[KCMax]

$50 million for the gondola? I thought I read it was closer to $10 million. That portion of the plan really needs to be scrapped.

I like the dividing of the rail into two phases - and making sure the northlanders can see some progress in phase one.

prepare Penn Valley Park for light rail and secure right of way for the light-rail line from KCI to Swope Park.

I can't see this happening in the next 6 weeks!

[kard]

Speaking of that, shouldn't they be closing Broadway through PVP soon?    I kind of chuckle here, but seriously--shouldn't it be closing soon?

[DaveKCMO]

$50 million for the gondola? I thought I read it was closer to $10 million.

that figure also includes: "prepare Penn Valley Park for light rail and secure right of way for the light-rail line from KCI to Swope Park."

[DaveKCMO]

Speaking of that, shouldn't they be closing Broadway through PVP soon?    I kind of chuckle here, but seriously--shouldn't it be closing soon?

yeah, no worse than closing five or six streets to downtown or three main river crossings simultaneously. somehow, we all coped. kinda makes you think why we really need so many damned roads?

[tat2kc]

that timeline is just insane. Not rational at all. A year to finish the contrustion of the right of way?  no way. no how. That power system hasn't even been tested in freezing weather. And it is not implemented anywhere in the US. The Feds would be all over that, if it was even allowed in such a large 1st deployment with no stateside testing.

[DaveKCMO]

And it is not implemented anywhere in the US. The Feds would be all over that, if it was even allowed in such a large 1st deployment with no stateside testing.

why is this such a hang-up? are we simply not allowed to be cutting edge in KC? it's not like france is third world with no codes or safety regulations. alstom is a major player and has already recommended a possible solution for the cold weather problems. like chastain said, if it's technically not possible then he won't have a problem ditching it. to me, the only thing that this new technology will affect is the cost.

[Highlander]

that timeline is just insane. Not rational at all. A year to finish the contrustion of the right of way?  no way. no how. That power system hasn't even been tested in freezing weather. And it is not implemented anywhere in the US. The Feds would be all over that, if it was even allowed in such a large 1st deployment with no stateside testing.

The best thing Chastain can do now is just kindly step aside.  He has accomplished what he set out to do with the petition but at this point, he is looking more to advance a personal agenda than to enhance the city's transportation network.   That is why the gondola plan is pushed to the forefront on the timetable; he knows it is (along with the PVP issue) the most vulnerable part of his plan.  It only makes sense to put those issues on the backburner and use those funds to take up the capital shortcomings in the overall plan.   So far, there is so little known about whether or not this plan can be even executed that putting forth an agressive timetable is premature to say the least.  

[Highlander]

like chastain said, if it's technically not possible then he won't have a problem ditching it. to me, the only thing that this new technology will affect is the cost.

So Clay now has veto power over this project?  That is a worrisome development.