KC Light Rail

MARC has issued its list [PDF] of recommended surface transportation projects to be funded by the stimulus plan (ARRA). Of interest to the transit community:

Kansas

• State Avenue Improvements, Unified Government of Wyandotte County ($5,000,000) - Will directly support the future State Avenue BRT route, which itself is unfunded (or is it, Senator Brownback?).
• Operation Green Light System Enhancement, MARC ($1,000,000) - Synchronizes traffic signals across municipalities, improving travel times for buses.

Missouri

• Troost Bridge Replacement, Kansas City ($8,000,000) - Required for implementation of Troost BRT service.
• Operation Green Light System Enhancement, MARC ($3,700,000) - See above.
• Regional Transit (Smart Moves) Implementation Plan, MARC ($261,250) - Planning for the Smart Moves BRT system.
• Traffic Control Center Phase 1, Kansas City ($750,000) - While Phase 1 is just for "rebuilding and rehabilitation of the current Traffic Operations building", once completed the center could improve bus or light rail travel times (if they were prioritized, of course).

The rest of the list is for roads and bridges that are too far flung to make a dent in our anemic transit situation. A different set of projects specifically directed at mass transit has yet to be released.