The KC Streetcar Riverfront Extension connects the Downtown Main Street starter line to Kansas City’s Riverfront with a 0.7-mile extension beginning at 3rd Street and Grand Boulevard in the River Market. The extension crosses the existing Grand Boulevard/Berkley Parkway Bridge and ends near the midpoint of Berkley Riverfront, approximately a five-minute walk from the KC Current stadium.

Construction began in March 2024 and lasted approximately 26 months, culminating in the official grand opening in May 2026. The Riverfront Extension marked a major milestone for the KC Streetcar system, which now stretches nearly 6.5 miles alongside the Main Street Extension, connecting the University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC) to Berkley Riverfront Park.

Strategic Storytelling

P+A led communications efforts for the construction of the KC Streetcar Riverfront Extension, developing informational materials like project fact sheets, a standalone website, blogs, and additional public-facing resources. The team also managed extensive media coordination efforts, including drafting news releases, coordinating interviews, participating in interviews, tracking coverage, and developing media kits.

The project also created opportunities for more targeted storytelling initiatives, including bike and pedestrian safety communications. During construction, the team produced a video highlighting how pedestrians and cyclists could safely travel from the River Market to the Riverfront via the Town of Kansas Bridge to combat an ongoing issue of pedestrians and cyclists walking on the Grand Boulevard/Berkley Parkway Bridge.

Communicating Through Construction

Throughout construction, P+A was responsible for communicating impacts with businesses, residents, and the broader community. In addition to producing a weekly construction update newsletter, the team developed a “Tiny Mic” video series, which began as a weekly series during two major bridge closures to provide updates on the progress of work, and became a monthly series highlighting project progress, milestones, and next steps.

These videos provided a fun and engaging way to keep the community connected to the project while showcasing updated drone footage and featuring special guests throughout the construction process.

Building Trust with Local Businesses and Celebrating Success

P+A also led business engagement efforts throughout construction. Riverfront Rally events provided monthly opportunities for residents to support businesses impacted by construction while connecting directly with the project team. In total, the team supported 10 local businesses through Riverfront Rally events throughout the duration of the project.

To further support impacted businesses, the P+A team assembled care packages featuring items from local businesses and distributed them to nearby apartment complexes in the area.
The team also embraced the philosophy of “work hard, celebrate hard,” planning special events to commemorate major project milestones, including the 100% track completion celebration held at the new Riverfront station stop.

Beyond events, the team ensured that businesses impacted by closures and constructions had personalized detour maps and signage to help customers navigate around the work. P+A worked closely with businesses to ensure the signage met their needs and to offer any additional support as needed.

Our team is proud to have contributed to such a transformative project, helping support the continued growth of reliable and accessible public transportation in Kansas City.