Light Rail Project Team Meeting: First signs of progress
By Mark Forsythe
The Kansas City Post
The Light Rail Citizens' Task Force received a short-notice invitation to attend a team meeting at HNTB. Scheduled from 4-6PM the invitation was vague in that it offered us the chance to observe the consultant team assimilating the data from the first public input meetings held a couple of weeks ago. Maybe it was the wording of the invitation but turnout from the Task Force was sparse. I was there until about 5:40PM and would estimate ten team members at the most were present.
The meeting turned out to be a golden opportunity to go over six preliminary alternative routes alongside the one approved by voters last November. There was no observing. The meeting was a hands-on chance for the Task Force to look over the preliminary routes that have been formulated from data resulting from the breakout sessions at the public meetings and discuss implications of each with consultant team members. We had ample time to ask questions of key team members and no topic was off limits. I took full advantage of the opportunity.
I was in rapid fire mode jumping from topic to topic. Where will the maintenance facility go? Isn't that area a flood plain? How many stops would be on that route? What are fixed-cost percentages versus incremental costs? How much does a two-car articulated LRV cost? What are the land acquisition challenges along that route? And those were just some of my questions.
In the end I have to say I was very impressed with the six potential routes. The team has paid attention to what the public is telling them and is proceeding with a design that is within the very real financial constraints that exist. While not 27 mile systems covering the entire metro (each proposed route is about a 12 mile starter line) they are very realistic and practical alternatives.
If anyone would like me to expound on any of my questions, or talk about the starter lines please leave a Comment and I'll do my best to write another post and answer your questions.
13 Comments so far
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What are the general boundaries? Is there a hub?
Do any of them run down Troost?
What are the additional proposed preliminary sites - there is nothing up on the kcata.org site.
Approximately, what are the 6 main corridors that are recommended?
What are the key citizen inputs that are driving their recommendations
zsparks,
With six different routes, each only spanning 12 miles general boundaries are difficult. Working from memory, only one of the routes went as far north as KCI. None went any farther south than about 75th Street. All six spanned the MO River.
doinkman,
At least one route went down Troost.
Doc,
I don’t understand what you mean by “preliminary sites.” Are you referring to stations?
Brent,
I’d have to write a book to describe all the routes in words. I’m trying to get some digital pics. I neglected to bring my camera and the routes were literally drawn up on 3×5′ pieces of vellum before the meeting.
The key citizen inputs were the little dots that everyone was given to place on the map where they thought light rail stations should be situated. That, coupled with the financial constraints of only being able to afford about a 12 mile starter route led to the six routes.
So in other words, the dots were most likely placed at the key destination places (plaza, westport, Nelson, Entertainment district, airport, city market, union station) so the vast majority of the routes run in the suspected corridors (either main, broadway or grand — even though I still propose Walnut as the best route). This would confirm my belief that any group of people could sit down with a pint of beer, a napkin and a pen and have close to the same route.
Were any other barriers established? Like a desire to run it in a mostly straight line, or inability to make sharp corners?
“Were any other barriers established? Like a desire to run it in a mostly straight line, or inability to make sharp corners?”
Keep in mind these routes are preliminary. Sketches if you will. Maybe I should add “ish” to the end of every word. It runs kind of Main’ish over to Hospital Hill’ish, etc.
what is the 12-mile estimate based on?
“what is the 12-mile estimate based on?”
Cost per mile.
yep - ’stations’ was the intent; also, spacing for them…the ’stations’, that is…half mile stops, 3/4 mile stops, 2 mile?
Doc,
I was told to anticipate stations at half mile intervals. 12 miles = 24 stations.