Prospect MAX Moves Into Project Development Phase

Prospect Avenue is seeing more progress.

With millions of dollars already planned for this important east Kansas City corridor, the KCATA is getting closer to securing millions more for public transportation.

Less than a month after the community came together to celebrate so much new investment planned for Prospect, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority took a key step toward deploying faster and more reliable bus service in this central city neighborhood.

The Federal Transit Administration recently approved a proposed bus rapid transit route on Prospect Avenue for project development.

Approval to move Prospect MAX into project development is the first official step toward securing federal funding for the project. Federal funding isn’t guaranteed. But approval to move ahead allows the KCATA to track project expenses and charge them to the federal government if the proposed MAX route receives federal money in the future.

Patterned after similar service operating on Main Street and Troost Avenue, the Prospect MAX route is expected to cover about nine miles, extending from 75th Street into downtown Kansas City.

This service will offer bus stations every four to six block at 26 locations, instead of a stop at every block with the current service. Prospect MAX will feature sleek bus shelters with highly visibly iconic makers and signs that provide real-time arrival information.

The federal government’s decision to green-light the $54 million project came just weeks after a couple hundred people turned out to celebrate more than $100 million in new investment planned for the Prospect Avenue corridor within in the next year.

Projects already in the works for Prospect Avenue include:

• Leon Mercer Jordan East Patrol Campus at 27th Street and Prospect.
• Redevelopment of the Linwood Shopping Center at 31st Street and Prospect.
• Morningstar Youth and Family Life Center at 27th Street and Prospect.
• Sidewalk and bus stop improvements from 22nd Street to 27th Street are being financed with a federal grant.

The projects combined with the proposed MAX line are the seeds of an ongoing effort to bring prosperity to this part of Kansas City. Many of those who attended the July 15 “Progress on Prospect” event at the Emmanuel Community Center saw hope in the investments planned for their community.

“A miracle fix is not going to happen overnight,” Kansas City Mayor Sly James cautioned residents at the event.

“The things we’re trying to fix have been in existence for decades,” James said. “Here’s the difference. We’re making some changes that will be used as a catalyst to make more changes. We’ve got to start somewhere and we’ve started.”

Citizens take a look at plans for projects along Prospect Ave. during the "Progress on Prospect" event in summer 2015.

Children added to the celebratory nature of the "Progress on Prospect" event with their artwork.