The Dotte

State Avenue Corridor Transit Improvements

State Avenue Corridor Transit Improvements

The Unified Government and Kansas City Area Transportation Authority are holding another open house to share preliminary design plans for the Minnesota/State Avenue transit corridor. The open house will be held from 3 to 5:30pm on Wednesday, August 10 in the UG Neighborhood Resource Center, 4601 State Avenue. The center is located in the lower level of Indian Springs Mall.

The open house will allow area residents, businesses and commuters to review project exhibits and provide comment. KCATA and UGT staff, along with the consultant design team, will be on hand to answer questions and discuss details. Displays will show progress to-date on the preliminary design of the corridor, and the conceptual improvements planned for the 47th and State Avenue MetroCenter and the portion of the corridor that extends west of the center.

State Avenue Connex will include two new transit centers at 7th and Minnesota Avenue and at 47th and State Avenue (Indian Springs). Both transit centers will be custom-built with improved passenger waiting areas and amenities such as real-time passenger information. Other State Avenue Connex stop improvements include bus passenger shelters and benches, bus stop platforms, landscaping, environmentally friendly features, and improved pedestrian connections.

What Is the State Avenue CONNEX?

Unified Government Transit and the Kansas City Area Transit Agency have secured federal TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) funding to improve the existing Minnesota/State Avenue corridor. The improvements will be made along the transit route that begins at the 10th and Main MetroCenter in downtown Kansas City, Mo., travels through Downtown Kansas City, Ks., and ends at Village West at 109th and Parallel Parkway in Wyandotte County before returning in the opposite direction.

The route will serve activity centers and neighborhoods along State and Minnesota avenues. State Avenue Connex will be complete in 2013. As a major east-west connection to the metropolitan area, State Avenue links Kansas City’s revitalized urban core to new development occurring farther west. In addition, with two new transit centers providing regional connections, improving State Avenue as a Connex route supports the regional vision for enhanced and expanded regional transit in KCK State Avenue Connex will improve transit facilities and continue to provide access to jobs, support economic development and provide efficient transportation.

Transit service is available on routes 101-Minnesota/State Ave., 102-Central (UGT) before 4 p.m., 102-Central (The Metro) after 4 p.m., 106-Quindaro and 107-7th St./Parallel. For information, log on to www.kcata.org or call 816-221-0660 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. For  more information, visit the project web page at www.kcata.org or the TIGER web page at www.dot.gov/recovery/ost/fags.htm.