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Change in party at White House could help fund light rail in KC
By Jeffrey M. Salem
A change in party affiliation at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. could benefit federal funding possibilities for light rail in Kansas City.
If a Democrat is elected president next November it could increase the amount of federal funding the government doles out to transit projects and expand the types of projects the Federal Transit Administration considers for matching funds, Jeff Boothe, the city’s transportation lobbyist in Washington, recently told the City Council.
Under the current administration, Boothe said, only a specific type of rail plan has seen success in receiving federal matching funds.
“The current FTA process rewards longer distance trips and more spacing between stations,” Boothe said, referring to a traditional, faster light rail system.
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority’s preferred line unveiled this fall features a 12-mile spine from the Country Club Plaza north to Vivion and North Oak. It includes the use of a streetcar system, which Boothe said had been nearly impossible to secure federal funding for.
Mayor Pro Tem Bill Skaggs suggested the city alter its preferred mode of rail after hearing Boothe’s presentation.
“It sounds to me like we can forget about streetcars,” Skaggs said.
Boothe said, however, that a federal de-emphasis on streetcar systems could change with a Democratic president.
“If there’s a change in the fall with an administration with a different attitude, then we may have a different conversation with streetcars,” Boothe said.
The federal-funding pie could add a few slices with a change at the White House, too, he said. Last year, the current administration cut the FTA budget. Boothe forecast that would not happen again “if there’s a Democrat elected.”
The city’s plan is now in the early stages of a required alternatives analysis, in which cost estimates, planning and design are all researched. Boothe gave the council a few tips that could help the city receive financial assistance at the federal level.
He said attitude toward climate change in Washington would continue to affect the transit approval process.
“The climate change will be a big issue, and how you address those issues will be very important,” he said.
Boothe said consensus of the public on a route and, ultimately, on a plan as well as focus on a starter line could be crucial.
“You want to demonstrate success,” he said. “The pattern is to start small and show that it works, convince the public that it makes sense and then go to the public for a broader referendum with broader support for transit.”
Staff writer Jeffrey M. Salem can be reached at 389-6653 or jeffsalem@npgco.com.
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If a Democrat is elected president next November it could increase the amount of federal funding the government doles out to transit projects and expand the types of projects the Federal Transit Administration considers for matching funds, Jeff Boothe, the city’s transportation lobbyist in Washington, recently told the City Council.
Under the current administration, Boothe said, only a specific type of rail plan has seen success in receiving federal matching funds.
“The current FTA process rewards longer distance trips and more spacing between stations,” Boothe said, referring to a traditional, faster light rail system.
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority’s preferred line unveiled this fall features a 12-mile spine from the Country Club Plaza north to Vivion and North Oak. It includes the use of a streetcar system, which Boothe said had been nearly impossible to secure federal funding for.
Mayor Pro Tem Bill Skaggs suggested the city alter its preferred mode of rail after hearing Boothe’s presentation.
“It sounds to me like we can forget about streetcars,” Skaggs said.
Boothe said, however, that a federal de-emphasis on streetcar systems could change with a Democratic president.
“If there’s a change in the fall with an administration with a different attitude, then we may have a different conversation with streetcars,” Boothe said.
The federal-funding pie could add a few slices with a change at the White House, too, he said. Last year, the current administration cut the FTA budget. Boothe forecast that would not happen again “if there’s a Democrat elected.”
The city’s plan is now in the early stages of a required alternatives analysis, in which cost estimates, planning and design are all researched. Boothe gave the council a few tips that could help the city receive financial assistance at the federal level.
He said attitude toward climate change in Washington would continue to affect the transit approval process.
“The climate change will be a big issue, and how you address those issues will be very important,” he said.
Boothe said consensus of the public on a route and, ultimately, on a plan as well as focus on a starter line could be crucial.
“You want to demonstrate success,” he said. “The pattern is to start small and show that it works, convince the public that it makes sense and then go to the public for a broader referendum with broader support for transit.”
Staff writer Jeffrey M. Salem can be reached at 389-6653 or jeffsalem@npgco.com.