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Big 12 tourney first big test for KC Streetcar

Posted at 5:53 PM, Mar 10, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-10 20:06:28-05

The Big 12 Tournament was the first big test for the new Kansas City Streetcar.

This was the first time the 78,000 pound streetcar was expected to share the road with thousands of fans downtown.

The week before, the streetcar crashed into an illegally parked car.

Chuck May and his family traveled from Iowa for the tournament, and they were already aware of the streetcar and what that meant for parking.

“We were talking about that, how are they going to get by if it's the same spot as the railway but I figured all of the other cars were there so I figured we were fine that way but you never know,” said May.

The city planned to test two vehicles Thursday, but from noon until 2 p.m., there was no sign of the Streetcar.

May said he hadn’t seen it all day.

Still, several out-of-town license plates lined the street, and most cars were parked within the white lines.

Despite the crash the week before, locals like Dan Alderman didn’t anticipate many more issues.

“I mean, other major metros have had to deal with it so there's a way, you just got to figure it out but it's a good thing all in all, I think,” he said.

While visitors may not have spotted the new streetcar being tested, May said he and his family are anxious to ride the rail to the Sprint Center next year.

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Shannon Halligan can be reached at shannon.halligan@kshb.com.

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