|
G1. TIP Number: |
995001
|
|
G2. State: |
Regional (bistate)
|
|
G3. Multiple agencies / jurisdictions?
|
Yes
City of Kansas City, Missouri
|
|
G4 Project contact: |
Tracey Logan
|
|
G5 Purpose and need:
|
This project will be a major step towards improving access and service reliability/performance on the existing and future "fast and frequent" route network in Kansas City, Missouri as envisioned in SmartMoves.
These routes already provide important transportation services and connect to existing MAX routes, but are often lacking in quality passenger infrastructure, accessibility to surrounding neighborhoods, and often have slow or unreliable travel times due to a lack of transit priority measures.
This project will improve safety and accessibility to the transit network in neighborhoods that have low vehicle ownership rates as compared to the rest of the region.
|
| |
|
G6. Origin and ending
|
Route:
From:
To:
Length (Miles):
|
Existing bus routes 24, 31, 39, and 201.
|
|
G7 Functional Classification:
|
Principal Arterial
|
|
G8 Connected KC 2050 Decade?
|
2020
|
|
G9 Muli-Agency Plan?
|
Yes
Yes. In addition to implementing some of the near-term recommendations of the Independence Avenue BRT Feasibility Study and the North Oak Transit Improvement Plan, this work wil also implement features of recent PSP projects focused on complete streets led by Kansas City on each of the three corridors.
Relevant KCMO Area Plans, including Midtown-Plaza, Heart of the City, Truman Plaza, and Briarcliff-Winnwood, also have major recommendation to improve transit service and facilities.
|
|
G10 Included in a CIP?
|
No
|
|
G11 Planning stage:
|
Conceptual Plan
|
|
G12 Reviewed by state DOT?
|
--Select--
|
|
G13 Right-of-Way acquisition: |
Not started
|
|
G14 ROW by local public agency process manual?
|
No
|
|
G15 Other unique local goals and objectives?
|
Yes
This project supports transit operational and customer service goals and objectives that are central to RideKC operations but beyond the scope of Connected KC 2050. This includes achieving travel time savings that will improve service reliability and on-time performance for passengers, as well as the communciation of that information through real-time data.
|
|
G16 Transportation Disadvantaged Population:
|
Three of corridors to be improved with this project, Independence Avenue, 31st/Linwood, and 39th Street lie nearly entirly within Environmental Justice Census Tracts (both minority and low-income criteria). The other corridor, North Oak, has several pockets of EJ tracts along the route.
These improvements will meet a critical need for transportation disadvantaged populations in this area by making it easier and safer to access public transit or to walk or bike to destinations.
|
|
G17 Relevant Public Engagement:
|
All three corridors have recently-completed planning projects with major public engagement components. Independence and North Oak plans were primarily focused on transit service and infrastructure and were completed by KCATA, while the ongoing Linwood Complete Streets PSP plan is being completed by the City of Kansas City. Each project included traditional public meetings in the project area as well as "pop-up" meetings at key locations along each corridor.
In the Independence and North Oak plans, meetings were also held at major bus stops, to ensure the population most affected by the plans had an opportunity to provide ideas and to comment on the proposed recommendations. Community surveys were also conductedduring each process. Surveys on Independence Avenue were provided in five languages due to the many languages spoken along the corridor.
|
|
G18 Planned Public Engagement:
|
Engaging the public and particularly transit customers at the point of service, at the bus stop or on the bus, will continue to be a major feature of public outreach as these projects progress. Through experience, KCATA has determined this is the most effective technique to engage transportation disadvantaged populations on planning and infrastrucutre projects.
KCATA will also utilize relationships with social service providers, many of whom participate in exising RideKC programs such as Opportunity Pass or Veterans Pass, to engage populations that those entities specialize in serving.
|
|
G19 Sustainable Places Criteria:
|
Access to Healthy Foods---Active Transportation/Living---Age in Place-------
Complete Street Design---------------
----Green Infrastructure-----------
------------Pedestrian-Oriented Public Realm---
----------------
------
|
|
G19.1 Describe PSP relationship:
|
Connecting residents to healthy foods, especially in areas with few options, is a specialty of the routes to be improved by this program. Some of the highest ridrship stops on existing routes 24 and 31 are at grocery stores.
Improved transit infrastructure allows more people to "age in place" by making it safer and easier to acces transit services, with ADA-compliant bus stops and accessible routes.
Active transportation, complete streets, and pedestrian-oriented public realm objectives will be met by improving sidewalk, crosswalk, ADA ramp, and bicycle facilities at or near bus stops.
Finally, green infrastructure improvements such as natural landscaping and trees will be provided as warranted and applicable to ech individual location.
|
|
G20 Implements Sustainable Places Initiatives?
|
Yes
Yes, this project will implement strategies of multiple recent PSP projects, including: North Oak Complete Streets (2019) and Independence Avenue Safety Improvements (2017).
In fact, North Oak and Linwood (as part of the U.S. 40 corridor) were two of the original six CSP corridors.
"CONNECTED" is the primary strategy that these proejcts focus on, by making it easier and safer for people to travel with a variety of options. But transit is also an important component of VIBRANT and GREEN places as well, supporting a mixed-use and dense development and reducing single-occupant vehicle trips.
|
|
G21 Serves Regional Activity Center?
|
Yes
Highest-Intensity and Most-Walkable Centers
The Independence Avenue and Linwood Boulevard corridors are almost fully within activity centers, including some "Most Developed/Walkable" areas. The North Oak corridor includes some "Moderately Developed/Walkable" centers. Bus stop improvements in these centers will provide improved direct access to transit services and enable these centers to become more vibrant, as well as conencted to each other.
|
|
G22 Environmental justice tracts?
|
Yes
Three of the corridors to be improved with this project, Independence Avenue, 31st/Linwood, and 39th Street, are mostly or excluvely within Environmental Justice Census Tracts (both minority and low-income criteria). The other corridor, North Oak, has several pockets of EJ tracts along the route.
These improvements will meet a critical need for transportation disadvantaged populations in this area by making it easier and safer to access public transit, and making service faster and more reliable within and between these tracts.
|
|
G23 Reduces greenhouse gas emissions?
|
Yes
By providing safer and more attractive transit and active transportation options, this provides an opportunity for more people to utilize these modes and make fewer trips in single-occupant vehicles, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the use of carbon based fuels.
|
|
G24 Natural Resource information:
|
High-quality public transit makes it more feasible to build dense neighborhoods that require less of a horizonal footprint due to reduced parking and automobile access demands. This can be a critical component of being able to preserve natural resources, for example by allowing larger buffers around streams. In addition, trees and landscaping will be provided to restore natural environments where space allows.
|
|
G25 Community Links at Watershaed Scale:
|
Conservation of land and resources, due to transit providing an opportunity for higher-density development with less need for parking, can significantly reduce stormwater runoff and improve overall water quality. Restoration efforts such as providing trees can reduce heat island imapcts.
The watersheds involved in this project include Blue River Brush Creek, Lower Blue River, Lower Shoal Creek, and Line Creek.
|
|
G26 Explain local land use or comprehensive plans:
|
Yes, this project will implement strategies of multiple recent PSP projects, including: North Oak Complete Streets (2019) and Independence Avenue Safety Improvements (2017).
In addition, the Kansas CIty, Missouri Area Plans (an extension of the citys comprehensive plan) include recommendations for transit infrastructure and service in each of these corridors. These are plans include Midtown-Plaza, Heart of the City, Truman Plaza, and Briarcliff-Winnwood.
North Kansas City, due to the recommendations of the Burlington Corridor Complete Street Plan, is in the process of planning and designing transit stations along their portion of the North Oak corridor. Our project seeks to develop similar improvements in the Kansas City portion of the corridor.
|
| |
