Solution
Downtown Starter Line
Burns & McDonnell was selected to address infrastructure challenges and mitigate community concerns. Solutions included relocation and replacement of over 2 miles (11,000 linear feet) of water mains, reconnection of nearly 100 water service connections, reconstruction of 30 manholes, and rehabilitation of the sewer system with 13,400 linear feet of cured-in-place lining (a trenchless method of repairing damaged pipes).
The team also performed structural design tasks involving the Main Street Viaduct and the Delaware Street Bridge, including inspection and modification plans to accommodate streetcars and tracks. Additionally, teams at Burns & McDonnell provided architectural assistance for the vehicle maintenance facility, leveraging site history and previous studies to guide the design and permitting teams.
To carry out its work of keeping the public informed about the project, Burns & McDonnell facilitated meetings with more than 27 private utilities and key stakeholders including the Missouri Department of Transportation and Kansas City Area Transit Authority (KCATA) to coordinate project details and analyze impacts.
The project team implemented a comprehensive public engagement and information plan to communicate timely updates and gather input from the public. This was crucial for gaining community support and safeguarding project success. The outreach plan included local workshops, corridor walks, and door-to-door and face-to-face meetings to engage business and property owners, residents, employees, and the traveling public. Email outreach grew as the project progressed and included a robust database to record, track and manage inquiries.
A frequently updated website informed the public about project milestones, closures and construction-related news. At the same time, social media outreach included a presence on Facebook and Twitter, YouTube video posts and coordination with the City’s Nixle updates (now called Alert KC). During the project, surveys were developed to gather feedback from a broad audience on various design components, such as streetcar stops. Additionally, coordination with the Streetcar Authority on branding efforts and collaboration with the Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association made way for effective communication with visitors about the streetcar project and related construction.
Main Street Extension
Building upon the success of the downtown streetcar line, the City of Kansas City, Missouri, the Kansas City Streetcar Authority (KCSA) and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) undertook a system expansion with a 3.5-mile southern extension of the downtown starter line along Main Street, connecting the River Market to the University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC). The goal of the extension is to enhance mobility by adding 16 stops and connecting the downtown starter line to Midtown, Westport, the Art Museum District, the Plaza and UMKC.
For years, the Kansas City streetcar system was able to solidify and build upon its reputation as a reliable and necessary form of public transportation, so when it was time to build the Main Street Extension, the community did not need to be convinced of the extension’s benefits, although there were naturally questions about project specifics and concerns about construction disruptions.
The project communication team, led by Burns & McDonnell, focused on outreach activities for businesses in the area and was mindful of communicating plans for mitigating impacts for businesses, residents and the traveling public. Throughout the course of construction, the communication team presented at 23 neighborhood meetings, facilitated more than 120 stakeholder meetings and had more than 1,700 door-to-door touch points ahead of road closures. These touch points were intended to communicate upcoming events with all stakeholders, from neighbors living along the corridor, to local establishments, and coordinate communication efforts with major entities in the area including American Century, Crown Center and Union Station.
In addition to in-person communications, a frequently updated website informed the public about project milestones, closures and construction-related news. By the end of construction on the Main Street Extension project, the website received more than 58,700 unique page views. At the same time, social media outreach included a presence on X, and weekly construction update emails were sent every Friday which served to not only post construction information but also share progress photos and celebrate project milestones.
During the project, more than 960 phone calls and more than 4,000 targeted stakeholder emails were sent and received. In addition, the team distributed 65 news releases focused on construction progress and traffic disruptions. The communications and outreach strategy on the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension has been praised as a highlight of the project by the client’s executive management team, setting a precedent for an engagement approach on future capital projects.
