This story is part of an ongoing series, On Track with KC. If you have questions about the extension of the streetcar, you can submit them here.
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Since Monday, streetcar service has been suspended as crews tackle multiple projects along or near the track.
"It's not something that happens all the time," said Donna Mandelbaum, communications and marketing director for Kansas City Streetcar. "We accelerated this need because of the extension opening next month, so it's just really great timing."
The projects include preventative maintenance work, installation of expansion joints on tracks and bridges, and overhead wire work along the riverfront extension.
"Our riverfront extension is actually 90% complete, so all of the major work is almost complete," Mandelbaum said. "All the tracks are in the ground. Our overhead wires near Grand, between 2nd and 3rd, we're adding some tensioners to those wires. That work has to be done overnight because we power down the system, and we actually take up a lot of the roadway there."
Crews with the city of Kansas City, Missouri, are also hard at work installing new road markings near 7th and Main.
"We monitor our tracks on a daily basis, we're inspecting them every week, but something major like this is not something that is done all the time," Mandelbaum said. "We did some preventative track maintenance work about a year ago in another area, near 20th and Main, so it's not something that happens all the time."
During this time of the year, the streetcar averages between 3,000-4,000 daily riders. To help passengers move across downtown, a fare-free “Streetcar Link” bus is running the same route. The buses operate during normal streetcar hours and arrive every 12-15 minutes.
Riders who normally board at River Market North can instead use the City Market, River Market West, or a temporary stop near 3rd and Walnut. Riders at Union Station Northbound will need to use the Union Station Southbound stop, where both boarding and exiting will take place during the week-long pause.
The KC Streetcar Authority expects full streetcar service to resume Sept. 14, if not sooner. Until then, drivers should be aware of road closures on Delaware Street between Independence Avenue and 7th Street.
As the opening of the Main Street extension inches closer, Mandelbaum said testing will resume the following week, and operators will continue to train with the Kansas City Streetcar Authority to prepare for passengers.
"All of our operators and our team members are going through some classroom training for their standard operating procedures, rules and policies," she said. "Then, we'll be back to simulated service testing next week, and we'll continue doing checking schedules, spacing and just getting people familiar with streetcars on the southern extension."
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KSHB 41 anchor/reporter Daniela Leon covers transportation-related issues in Kansas City. Share your story idea with Daniela.