Like everything else, light rail costs rise
Today's article in the Star outlines a revised cost estimate for the starter line and the reasons for the jump:
1. Materials costs (steel, asphalt)
2. MoDOT (rebuilding the Vivion/I-29 interchange)
3. Regional planning (larger maintenance facility)
4. Planning and design services
It's also important to note that the part of Kansas City that generates the most sales tax revenue (we've been told at least a third) will get the priciest portion ($123 million): the Northland. Federal funding is key, as it was before, but now we have the potential for new streams of funding — via climate change legislation — if Congress and the next administration come through in the next few years (both leading candidates at least acknowledge human causes for global warming as fact).
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Now you see why streetcars should be used. At $15-20 per mile we could get 4 times as much track as Light Rail, could save money by not having to build 5 new bridges,and not have streets torn up for long periods of time. If we used Main St instead of Grand the P&L and Sprint Center,we might not have a fight on our hands with Cordish. Or maybe that’s what the City would like.
I saw yesterday that the Hyatt is supporting a monumnet in Washington Square Park. Hopefully the City Planning deparments coordinates the monument with the light rail work otherwise more “rework” costs which planners are known for overlooking.
polling was pretty clear: voters don’t want the city to half-ass this major project. use full light rail for the spine and then use lower-cost streetcars to circulate in confined areas (downtown loop, westport, plaza).