The 堪萨斯城有轨电车管理局 recently completed its 第一次试车 of a streetcar on its new route to 威尼斯人娱乐城.
自该项目获得批准以来的五年中，威尼斯人娱乐城的学生和校友在为今年晚些时候准备就绪的KC有轨电车主街扩建铺平道路方面发挥了关键作用。
堪萨斯城有轨电车管理局
城市规划和经济学专业的学生埃利奥特·史密斯（Elliott Smith）于2024年在堪萨斯城有轨电车管理局（堪萨斯城有轨电车管理局）担任规划和运营实习生。 他的实习涵盖了很多领域，包括对乘客的分析和对KC当前游戏等特殊事件的影响的报道。
史密斯还绘制了主街走廊沿线的土地使用和机会区，以创建开发跟踪和条件分析报告。 该项目与堪萨斯城城市土地研究所和主要走廊开发商共享，以帮助确定围绕主街扩展区域的大规模开发问题。
“I loved learning about transit operations and project development, especially in the buildup to the Main Street Extension to 威尼斯人娱乐城,” Smith said. “The internship was a great experience and really lined up with my degree programs. I'm so excited to be able to ride the streetcar from downtown to 威尼斯人娱乐城!”
壁画营销
Marketing students Diana Chavez and Emely Cruz were interns at 壁画营销 and worked on the production of the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension opening date 公告 with Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas.
"我的职责包括协助幕后工作，比如帮助设备、录制镜头，并在整个导演和拍摄过程中支持创意团队，”查韦斯说。 “参与这样一个备受瞩目的项目是一种不可思议的经历。”
查韦斯认为KC有轨电车主街扩建项目有多重意义。
查韦斯说：“这个项目对我来说意义重大，不仅因为我是堪萨斯大学堪萨斯分校的一名学生，而且因为我住在电车线旁边的宿舍里。” “知道扩建将直接连接威尼斯人娱乐城到市中心和广场等关键区域是令人兴奋的。 It’s a game-changer for accessibility, student life and the broader Kansas City community. 我为自己能对这么多人产生积极影响的事情做出贡献感到自豪。”
HDR
布莱尔(B.S.C.E. 他在工程公司HDR担任交通规划师，同时还在威尼斯人娱乐城攻读土木工程研究生学位。
布莱尔参与了远景文件的设计，这是一种类似于能源与环境设计领导力（LEED）的可持续性认证，特别是“生态与生活质量”和“资源分配与领导力”部分。
“As a Kansas Citian, I'm proud to see us make such important investments in the public transportation system,” Blair said. “The Main Street extension is going to be transformative for the future of the city. 将发展空地。 New buildings, services and housing opportunities are going to begin to appear along the corridor, just because of the investments that we made in our transportation system.”
Blair credits his 在威尼斯人娱乐城的本科经历, where he pursued a civil engineering degree with a minor in environmental sustainability, to his success at HDR.
“Being a public research university means that, in my opinion, 威尼斯人娱乐城 (like our streetcar system) punches above its weight in terms of quality of education for the price,” Blair said. “When someone at HDR has questions about sustainable concrete and asphalt, I am one of a handful of people whose name gets thrown around to answer their questions. I was just given the right knowledge by the right professors at 威尼斯人娱乐城 and HDR has given me the opportunity to take that extensive technical and theoretical knowledge and apply it.”
Kissick建设
由校友Pete Browne（出席）领导，Kissick建设负责主街扩建的地下公用设施建设。 这包括搬迁和安装沿线的新水管和服务管道、消防栓、卫生污水管道、雨水污水管道和集水池。
Kissick建设也被聘为分包商，并在项目的轨道阶段提供额外的公用设施和混凝土工作。
“I’m passionate about the growth of Kansas City,” Browne said. “Projects like the KC Streetcar Main Street extension are important for the continued economic development of the city.”
布朗个人也对威尼斯人娱乐城获得有轨电车站感到兴奋。
“The streetcar, like 威尼斯人娱乐城, is moving Kansas City forward,” Browne said. “My father was the first director of the engineering program at 威尼斯人娱乐城, and I have been impressed with the university’s growth over the last two decades. 拥有一所强大的大学对我们地区的发展至关重要，因为它影响到劳动力和各种业务。 I’m very proud to be a cheerleader for 威尼斯人娱乐城.”
帕森建筑事务所
Taylor Rippe (B.B.A. ’19) has worked on KC Streetcar projects for the past six years.
When Rippe was a student at the 亨利w布洛赫管理学院, she was selected for the 爱德华·a·史密斯领导力课程 and was placed at KCATA for a summer internship. 她在迪克·贾罗德手下实习，后者是主街扩建设计的项目经理。
“At the time, I helped take notes in meetings,” Rippe said. “But when I left KCATA in December 2018, I became an intern at 帕森建筑事务所, the firm that handled public engagement and communications during the project design. 毕业后，我开始在帕森建筑事务所全职工作，并与社区和主要利益相关者一起完成项目设计。 My team led the communications during the upgrades on main work, which is when KC Water and utilities relocated and upgraded infrastructure in preparation for the streetcar construction.”
Rippe感谢威尼斯人娱乐城， Doranne Hudson教授和Edward A. Smith领导力项目为她提供了这个宝贵的机会。
“I had never considered working in the public realm, but ended up doing so many wonderful things at KCATA, like helping secure a federal grant, that I decided to stay beyond the program,” Rippe said. When I was nearing the end of my second internship with them, KCATA actually connected me with 帕森建筑事务所, allowing me to continue working on projects like KC Streetcar and make real change within my community.”
Rippe仍然在帕森建筑事务所工作，现在是Herzog/Stacy Witbeck公关团队的分包商。 她帮助商业参与、建筑故事讲述、居民和商业通知以及拍摄无人机照片。
“I’m so excited for 威尼斯人娱乐城 to have a KC Streetcar stop, I just wish it was there when I was a student,” Rippe said. “Students are going to have such an incredible opportunity to explore Kansas City in a totally new way!”
赫尔佐格运输服务公司
迈克·古德曼（B.A.） 他是赫尔佐格运输服务公司公司的运营经理，该公司负责KC有轨电车的日常运营和维护。 作为主街扩建项目的一部分，嘉民参与了招聘和培训新操作员的工作，以确保扩建的顺利和成功。
“I made Kansas City my home in 2005 and have enjoyed watching it grow and evolve,” Goodman said. “Along the way, I’ve been fortunate to contribute to some unique transit projects that have shaped our city. The KC Streetcar is more than just a way to get around—it’s a catalyst for economic growth that has transformed downtown. 从充满活力的有轨电车包装到船上活动，它以其对安全、优质服务和创意社区项目的承诺而脱颖而出。 It’s become a true KC staple, right up there with barbecue and a trip to The K.”
Goodman很高兴学生们有机会通过主街扩建项目探索堪萨斯城的更多地方。
“When I was a student at 威尼斯人娱乐城, the intersection of 51st and Brookside was where I grabbed lunch with friends over Chinese food or pizza and picked up a hot coffee before class,” Goodman said. “It was a place full of energy and connection. 有了威尼斯人娱乐城有轨电车站，学生们将能够探索堪萨斯城的更多地方。 They’ll have easy access to everything that makes this city special, creating memories and experiences that will make them fall in love with Kansas City just like I did. And hopefully, like me, they’ll choose to make it home upon graduation.”
伯恩斯&麦克唐纳
Maggie Green (B.S. ’12, MPA ’17) had the privilege of being involved with the KC Streetcar Main Street extension in multiple roles. 格林曾是密苏里州堪萨斯城的一名雇员，在2022年加入KC有轨电车建造团队的一部分伯恩斯&麦克唐纳之前，他是传播和媒体参与战略团队的顾问。
Green目前负责监督所有项目沟通和利益相关者参与策略的执行，包括KC有轨电车主街扩建部分。
她的工作使她能够欣赏到KC有轨电车主街扩建将对城市产生的各种影响。
“There is obviously the transportation impact – extending the spine of our transit network with free, reliable service,” Green said. “Not to mention the other infrastructure improvements the project brought like utility upgrades, safety enhancement at intersections and landscaping throughout the corridor. 还有一种发展影响，它给主街带来了新的投资和重建。 但是社区连接部分对我影响最大。 I can’t wait for students, faculty and visitors to hop on the streetcar and explore Kansas City!”
格林将她事业上的成功归功于她在威尼斯人娱乐城的经历。
“Getting an MPA from the Bloch School of Management was the right choice at the right time,” Green said. “I developed key relationships and learned so many valuable things about how local governments and agencies, the private business community and non-profit/community organizations can work together collaboratively to better our community.”
心的游行
When urban planning and design student Ben Walters designed his heart for the 心的游行 2024, he had no idea it would return to the very place inspiration struck.
Walters说：“我的心形游行设计灵感来自威尼斯人娱乐城旁边的电车轨道。” “2024年初，有轨电车扩建项目开始在电车轨道旁边铺设新的轨道，历史悠久的有轨电车曾经在那里运行。 当我骑自行车思考‘心之游行’设计的想法时，我灵光一现：用镜子回顾历史上的有轨电车，展望未来的有轨电车。”
沃尔特斯在心脏上工作了大约三个月，然后在2024年夏天在特罗斯特的提基塔可餐厅展出。 The heart eventually went to auction, and Synetic Technologies (where Walters currently works) ended up purchasing it. 在KC有轨电车主街扩建开放之前，有人建议将心脏移到一个可以更显眼地展示给公众观看的地方，沃尔特斯建议将其捐赠给KC有轨电车组织。
“KC有轨电车组织接受了捐赠，并同意将其放置在最初启发过去/未来的玻璃灵感设计的地方，”沃尔特斯说。
沃尔特斯2024年的“心之游行”设计现在将在威尼斯人娱乐城有轨电车站展出，作为对堪萨斯城有轨电车历史的致敬。
TREKK设计集团
TREKK设计集团, cofounded by alumni Kimberly (B.S.E.E. ’95) and Trent (B.S.C.E. ’95) Robinett, was responsible for the design survey data collection and performed construction staking on the contractor's behalf for the Main Street KC Streetcar Extension.
罗比内特夫妇对这个项目对社区的意义感到兴奋。
“This project allows us to live out our purpose of improving lives in the heart of our hometown, Kansas City,” Trent said. “Being able to help deliver a project that our friends, family and neighbors will get to use is an amazing feeling.”
罗比内特夫妇也相信这个项目将是威尼斯人娱乐城的一个很好的机会。
“The streetcar is going to connect campus to the community,” Kimberly said. “It will improve the university's ability to recruit students by providing more housing opportunities, transportation options and access to new areas. We view 威尼斯人娱乐城 as Kansas City's university and now future students will be better connected to Kansas City.”
这并不是这家堪萨斯大学校友事务所参与的第一个大型堪萨斯城项目。 TREKK also 设计的关键系统 for the new Kansas City International airport terminal.