Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) reveals the names of 10 influential African American Kansas Citians as part of the Paving the Way Honor Plaque Program. The program honors local icons who helped shaped Kansas City. Each recipient will have their name engraved on a granite tile at one of the Prospect MAX platforms along the Prospect Corridor. In addition to the plaques, a bio and video of the honorees will play on the kiosks starting in February. The following honorees were selected by a subcommittee of the Prospect MAX Advisory Committee, which included more than 40 people who offered guidance and feedback about the Prospect MAX project:
Alvin Brooks Gregory & Prospect Northbound
Bernard Powell 27th & Prospect Northbound
Dr. Samuel U. Rodgers 12th & Prospect Westbound
Horace M. Peterson III Truman & Prospect Southbound
Lucile Bluford 18th & Prospect Southbound
Ray Harris, Jr. Swope Parkway Northbound
Rev. A.L. Johnson, Sr. Swope Parkway & Prospect Southbound
Rev. Dr. Wallace S. Hartsfield, Sr. 31st & Prospect Northbound
Fred A. Curls 31st & Prospect Southbound
Willie Arthur Smith 23rd & Prospect Southbound
“We’re proud to honor these 10 pioneers who fought for social equity, justice and equality to make Kansas City the diverse place it is today,” said Robbie Makinen, President and CEO of KCATA. “It’s because they were willing to take a stand and leave their comfort zone that they were able to create the history we celebrate today.”
Prospect MAX BRT will inject $56 million worth of street and sidewalk upgrades, transit stop infrastructure and advanced technology along Kansas City’s 10-mile Prospect Avenue corridor from downtown to 75th Street. It will have boarding stations every four to six blocks. The new BRT line will enhance the transit experience for existing riders by offering more frequent service, traffic signal priority, fewer stops, free public WiFi and uniquely branded red buses. The stations will offer no-step levelboarding for customers and conductive concrete, which melts snow and ice from the sidewalks and platforms.