The Bistate Sustainable Corridor is a cooperative effort to create and implement a transformational strategy to enhance mobility, transform communities and reduce carbon emissions by focusing a wide range of federal and local investments on a key regional transit corridor that connects three major cities in two states and two counties along State Avenue, Independence Avenue and Truman Road. 

The Bi-State Sustainable Reinvestment Corridor project will be led by MARC and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, both of which have strong histories of developing and delivering effective and innovative transportation plans and projects. The project will be advanced in partnership with Independence, Missouri; Kansas City, Missouri; Sugar Creek, Missouri; Jackson County, Missouri and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, in addition to many business, civic and community organizations.   This project will build on a strong foundation of community planning and robust community engagement to set the stage for future zero-emission transportation investments and sustainable public infrastructure. This project will support the vision of a 24-mile corridor linking major activity centers and historically disadvantaged communities in two states, two counties and four cities in Greater Kansas City. 

Comprehensive coordinated investments include:

• Zero-emission transportation: Fast, frequent transit; electric buses; new mobility hubs; pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.
• Affordable housing: Energy-efficient retrofits; new units and construction; transit-oriented development.
• Green infrastructure: Enhanced tree canopy; stormwater best management practices; electric vehicle charging; district power generation; residential solar panels.
• Economic development: Workforce training; childcare access; small business support.
• Broadband access: Infrastructure for wired and wireless service; capacities; equipment.
• Safety and security enhancements: Shot spotter; license plate readers; Community Improvement Districts; other public safety technology.
• Public Schools and Libraries: Renewable energy and energy efficiency projects

Congressional leadership is committed to moving forward with a federal RAISE Planning grant application for the entire corridor. It is believed there is a significant amount of planning work to be done to better define a list of future capital projects. The minimum RAISE grant application for this effort would be approximately $7 million, which means the local match (total) would be around $1.4 million. There has been discussion about the communities commitment to share in the funding of the match. The three local government agencies and KCATA are seeking to share the match cost equally, roughly $350,000 each.

If approved, the City would be committed to contributing $350,000 as part of the cost share agreement. Recommended funding would be from the City's $163,000 allocation of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG). The balance of funding would come from project savings of the approved ARPA spending plan.

Approval of this item would authorize the City Manager to apply for and accept the EECBG formula grant for the purposes of funding the Bi-State Corridor Planning project as well as amend the ARPA spending plan to accommodate this project. An amended ARPA spending plan will be presented to the City Council during the FY 23-24 budget process.