Kansas City receives $15 billion in federal funding for mobility and infrastructure projects

It looks like Kansas City is getting funding for several interesting rail and safety projects. The most important item here is probably the airport connection, a $10.5 billion project bringing air travelers directly into the downtown instead of driving or taking a taxi. Airport connections to the downtown are an extremely important part of a city's transportation network; their absence from many American cities contributes to slower travel times, more traffic, and more automobile usage than is necessary. Federal funding like this goes a long way in allowing local municipalities (which usually don't have $10 billion lying around) to make important upgrades to their systems to improve quality of life for residents and visitors alike.

I'm also interested in the streetcar expansion project, which will help a lot of people get to work without a car, and the urban park over I-670. For some reason the press release doesn't refer to this as a highway cap, which is what it is—this is not a park near a highway (those are generally not super pleasant), but an effective removal of the highway as far as pedestrians are concerned. It's called the "South Loop Project" for those curious. It's similar to other highway capping initiatives, like the Park at Penn's Landing currently under construction in Philadelphia.

Some amount of this funding is coming from Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loans and Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF). The press release doesn't explicitly specify, but some amount of those programs' funding was extended under Biden's 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Wouldn't be happening without Joe. :/

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today established a strategic partnership to enhance innovative delivery and finance infrastructure improvements in Kansas City, Missouri. The Emerging Projects Agreement (agreement) focuses on Kansas City’s more than $15 billion network of projects designed to improve mobility, connectivity, safety and equity throughout the region. The partnership will help spur work for an east-west Streetcar extension to connect underserved communities with healthcare, jobs, and the heart of Kansas City.

Some of the projects that could benefit from this partnership include:

• A fixed, 21-mile rail line from the airport to connect travelers, visitors, and employees to downtown Kansas City and the core of the city’s transportation systems ($10.5 billion).
• Bi-State Streetcar Expansion, an East-West Streetcar extension connecting underserved communities with healthcare, jobs, and to the heart of the city ($1.5 billion).
• Reconnecting The Eastside, a study of the Highway 71 corridor to address the scars and displacement this corridor has left on historic Black neighborhoods ($1.6 billion).
• Reconnecting The Westside, a study of the I-35 corridor to address the disruption caused by the viaduct and connect Kansas City’s historic Hispanic communities to the downtown Central Business District ($1.5 billion).
• Construction of an urban park at Interstate 670 to add green space and remove the divide created by the construction of the highway ($314 million).
• Bridge critical repairs or replacement city-wide ($147 million).
• Blue River Watershed safety and connectivity improvements, including economic and workforce development and neighborhood reinvestment programs. ($123 million).
  • Vision Zero city-wide safety and connectivity improvements for all modes of transportation and every user ($75 million).

$1.5 billion each on two studies seems high to me, but if it's going to result in more highway caps or something, then let's hear it. It's also nice to see $75 million put toward Vision Zero initiatives. Hopefully that means, among other things, more protected bike lanes.