Riverfront Extension
Opening Spring 2026
January /February 2026 Update
Construction for the Riverfront Extension is 99% complete with the remaining items underway:
- Seeding for grass along the project, from 3rd Street and Grand Boulevard to Berkley Riverfront.
- Continuing work on train control infrastructure at the corner of 3rd Street and Grand Boulevard.
- Installing additional signage between the Grand Boulevard/Berkley Parkway bridge and Berkley Riverfront.
- Installing glass and real time arrival signage at the new River Market stop and the Riverfront stop.
- Completing miscellaneous clean up activities throughout the project area.
Work is well underway on the Riverfront Streetcar Station and CPKC Pavilion with the first of the framing going up late February 2026. This pavilion will feature an iconic canopy structure, sculptural lighting and enhanced amenities as the new “front door” to Berkley Riverfront and streetcar passengers. Construction of the CPKC Pavilion is anticipated to be complete prior to the World Cup.
Project Fun Facts:
- 76 new OCS poles, varying from 28 feet high to 54 feet high
- Approximately 12,000 feet of OCS wire
- One new Traction Power Sub-Station (TPSS)
- Over 8,300 feet of new track
- 296 posts with nearly 2,200 linear feet of chain
Stay in the loop on all Riverfront Extension construction news with the weekly Tiny Mic Video series.
Follow the Riverfront Extension construction progress on the project website: www.riverfrontextension.com.
Project information & plans
These are just information plans and not the official bid documents.
- KC Streetcar Riverfront Extension: Full Set of Plans
- Landscaping Plans
- Lighting Plans
- Overhead Catenary System Plans
- Streetcar Stop Platform, Signage & Way-finding Plans
- Traction Power SubStation (TPSS) Plans
- Traffic Signal & Train Control Plans
Groundbreaking held on March 1, 2024
UPDATE: February 28, 2023
KC Streetcar rail delivery began this week for the Riverfront Extension
Rail delivery of 200 tons of 112 Tram Rail began this week for the KC Streetcar Riverfront Extension. The delivery arrived via nine trucks over two days and included 275 sticks of rail. Each rail stick is 39 feet long and weighs almost 1,500 pounds. The temporary storage area is located just east of the Port KC office.
This specific project rail is a special order. The 112 Tram Rail provides a shorter profile so it can be installed onto the existing Grand Avenue Viaduct with minimum impact to the existing bridge structure. The remainder of the riverfront extension will use 115# T-Rail, which is also the same rail on the downtown streetcar route. The remainder of the Riverfront Extension project rail is anticipated to be delivered in 2024.
Once complete, the KC Streetcar Riverfront Extension will connect from the downtown line at 3rd Street and Grand Boulevard in the River Market, travel on the existing Grand Avenue Viaduct and end near the midpoint of Berkley Riverfront. The Kansas City Streetcar Authority (KCSA), the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA), Port KC and the City of Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO) are partnering to deliver the project.
Public Outreach
On December 8, 2022, the project team held a public meeting for the KC Streetcar Riverfront Extension & Bicycle & Pedestrian Bridge project. If you missed the meeting, click the links before for more information.
The KC Streetcar Riverfront Extension project will extend the mobility and economic development benefits of the Kansas City Streetcar to a long-dormant area near downtown – catalyzing economic development and job creation.
Click here for the latest KC Streetcar Route Map which includes the Downtown Line, the Main Street extension, and the Riverfront extension. This route map also includes streetcar stop locations.
The above 2017 video is of a possible KC Streetcar Riverfront Extension. Since then, there has been further work to bring the KC Streetcar to mid-river and includes other design changes.
Bicycle & Pedestrian Bridge
The City of Kansas City, Missouri, is working on the Grand Boulevard bike/pedestrian bridge project which will add a pathway or pair of pathways to the outside of the existing bridge. This will be a Bridge dedicated facility for bicyclists and pedestrians, separate from vehicular traffic and the KC Streetcar Riverfront Extension.
The improvements will provide a safe and continuous connection between the River Market neighborhood/business district and the Berkley Riverfront area. This section of Grand Boulevard is part of the proposed Bike KC plan to include separated bicycle facilities. The project will also include pedestrian accommodations in alignment with the KCMO Walkability Plan to complete the missing pedestrian link to Berkley Riverfront Park.
